First Spring (Nuclear Winter Book 2)

by Nathan Jones

  Back pay probably wasn't on the table, either, and the defenders couldn't feed their loved ones with gratitude. When any was even offered.

  Trev knew that as Mayor Matt was dealing with that much more than him, having to usually be the one turning down unreasonable demands and even most of the reasonable requests, while at the same time dealing with Trev on the other side getting on his case about taking advantage of the defenders' decency and willingness to help.

  It was just one of those things they'd always have to deal with and strike a balance on.

  After leaving Matt to his work Trev went around to visit the Halssons. They were still in mourning over Lucas's death, and being cooped up in their cabin hadn't helped. Hopefully with the recent warmth they'd been taking the opportunity to go out and enjoy the sun, and others had been taking the time to visit them.

  Aunt Eva met him at the door with a hug, ushering him inside. Trev saw that Linda had finished using their bathroom and was seated on Mary's bed chatting with their cousin, who also rose to throw her arms around Trev.

  “We were just about to go visit Lucas's grave,” his aunt said. “Want to join us?”

  “Absolutely,” Trev said. He'd been taking the time to stop and pay his respects to his uncle whenever he passed that way, which was fairly often since it was only a little ways off from one of the patrol routes.

  And he knew that with the warm weather the Halssons had been going every day to tend the site, tidying it up as much as possible with the snow. A lot of their conversation when he came to visit them revolved around finding flowers and sod to plant once spring rolled around, if it ever did. From the way they were going with their plans they'd have a full-blown garden to honor their husband and father by the time they were through.

  Trev heartily approved. Lucas had had an enormous impact on his life growing up, and had saved him and his family in the blockhead prison camp in Michigan. Since then his uncle had been a voice of leadership and guidance that helped not only their families, but the shelter group and the entire town. Trev could never truly express what losing Lucas had meant to him, and it hurt to think how his aunt and cousins had to be suffering even more. The least they could do was make sure his memory was cherished.

  Linda declined to come with them, giving a last round of hugs before excusing herself to head home. That left the three of them to make their way through the melting snow to the small overlook on the hillside where Lucas had been buried.

  On the way Trev provided his aunt an elbow to lean on, and it wasn't just emotional support. Eva had suffered tremendous physical as well as emotional strain from the weeks of sitting with her dying husband, and in the eleven days since. She was a wisp of her former self, and Trev knew he wasn't the only one worried about her health moving forward. His mom had been working double time cooking meals for the Halsson family, and visited frequently to make sure they were eating and otherwise taking care of themselves.

  At least Mary seemed to be in good health, although a bit pale and subdued with grief. None of them would get over their loss any time soon, and he could only hope the time spent grieving would bring healing, not despair.

  Lucas's grave was surrounded by a ring of trampled, muddied ground from the frequent visits, but the snow over the burial plot itself was pristine and untouched, even by animal tracks. It may have been a fanciful notion, but Trev thought the place had a quiet, peaceful air, as if some of his uncle's calm, self-assured presence lingered on.

  Despite the two women's desire to tend the grave there wasn't actually much that could be done at the moment. Mostly it provided a reason to visit, and after making a token effort they all fell into their own quiet reminiscing as they stood together.

  Out of the corner of his eye Trev caught a flash of red, Jane's hair, as Lewis and his wife quietly approached. He nodded as the couple joined them, while Aunt Eva detached herself from his arm to lean on her son and daughter-in-law. Moments later Mary also moved away to wrap the redheaded woman in a hug.

  In spite of her asocial personality Jane didn't seem too uncomfortable with the contact, although her expression was inscrutable as she inspected the grave. As for Trev, he was left a bit apart at the end of it. But he was happy to give the family the space they needed.

  After a few minutes Lewis came over to join him. “Sorry we haven't had many chances to do reloading work,” he said as he pulled Trev into a one-armed hug.

  Reloading bullets was his cousin's major business venture, one he'd generously invited Trev to be a partner in. Although like with so many other things Trev always felt like he wasn't quite pulling his share of the weight. “I get it,” he said.

  And he did. Lewis had spent the last month blaming himself for his dad's fate. He'd had the antibiotics and pain medication to help Lucas, but during the fight against the blockheads he'd donated them to sick and injured friends and fellow volunteers who desperately needed them. Despite his usual pragmatic nature he hadn't held any back for his family, and watched what had to be a nightmare as the worst-case scenario unfolded as a result.

  Trev didn't blame his cousin, and he knew no one else did either. That medicine had saved lives, and weighing that immediate need against the possibility of future need was a tough decision. Trev would've chosen the same. He just wished Lewis could find a way past the guilt he was suffering.

  “Yeah, it's been hard to bring myself to do much other than what I have to,” Lewis admitted. “And to be honest with the cold weather it's been nice to have an excuse to just let myself stop for a while.”

  “I get that too,” Trev said with a half smile.

  He took it as a good sign that his cousin smiled back, although with effort. “Still, it would be good to get back to things. Stay busy. Speaking of which, you up for going back to the exercise routine?”

  Trev perked up. “Definitely.”

  Last winter they'd filled their hours with whatever exercises they could do indoors in the limited space of the hideout, which among other things included training in wrestling and boxing. Thanks to that they'd both come out of the winter in great shape, and Trev could thank that training for probably saving his life, or at least preventing a serious beating, on multiple occasions.

  “Cool.” Lewis also looked eager. The topic had him more animated than Trev had seen him in a while, grateful for a distraction. “If we had more space we could encourage the rest of your family to join in. Maybe not the wrestling and boxing, but they should definitely do some aerobics and maybe a bit of strength training on their own time.”

  “Sure. Although I bet Jim would like to join in with whatever we're doing. And I should probably try to talk Dad into it for his health.”

  “Good.” His cousin tapped his shoulder. “Although I'd like to get serious with training again.”

  “No complaints there,” Trev agreed. “You only get the best value out of something if you're serious about it.”

  On the way home a chill breeze blew down the valley from the north. Trev just shivered and zipped up his light jacket, not really reading into it, at least until Lewis spoke up. “Guess that's the end of our spell of warm weather.”

  Ah, right. Trev felt a flash of disappointment. “Yeah, guess so. Maybe we'll have another one before winter really sets in.”

  “Maybe.” His cousin clapped him on the shoulder. “In the meantime, a bit of a breeze can be good when you're working up a sweat, if we want to exercise outdoors while we can.”

  Mary, Jane, and Aunt Eva didn't seem to mind as the two of them hurried on ahead to clear a spot and get started.

  His cousin had always had the upper hand during their sparring last winter. Trev mostly stayed competitive thanks to his sharp reflexes and the fact that he was slightly stronger, but Lewis had the better reach, better form, better grasp of the theory thanks to studying the material in his archives then teaching it to Trev, and the more tactical mind that had an uncanny gift for sizing up a situation and exploiting weaknesses.

  St
ill, a lot had changed since then. Trev was more confident he'd hold his own now, and if not he had the whole winter to improve.

  Chapter Two

  Thanksgiving

  The next two or so weeks until Thanksgiving passed in a blur of infrequent storms, cold cloudy weather and even colder wan sunshine, and mornings spent fumbling through chores with half numb fingers followed by dull days of finding things to do.

  Being cooped indoors would've been nice and restful, like Matt had heard his friends and neighbors mention in passing before going on to complain about boredom. The Larson household didn't get the chance to enjoy either of those things.

  Baby Olivia was an absolute delight, of course. Soft and cuddly and a joy to hold, Matt never passed up an opportunity to settle her in his arms. But boy did that tiny body come equipped with a healthy set of lungs. She was usually fairly sweet, but at night she employed those lungs with maximum effect. And once she was up she took several minutes of comforting before quieting down to nurse.

  The reprieve from sleepless nights came during the mornings usually, as everyone took turns caring for the newborn while the others slept in. Although Matt had noticed that Terry was spending more nights sleeping over at the clinic, and April joined him more and more often. And although Aaron and Paul complained about how much noise their cousin made, they didn't seem to have had much trouble adapting to it and were getting better sleep than anyone.

  But sleepless nights and being mostly confined indoors were putting everyone on edge in a big way.

  Matt felt a bit guilty there, since he had the excuse of duties to the town to take him away during the day, and he was even able to catch the occasional nap in the town storehouse. He noticed that his parents also used any excuse to go and visit friends and neighbors.

  Since Terry and April regularly spent their days at the clinic that left poor Sam, one of the more energetic people he knew, often stuck in the cabin caring for the baby as well as her nephews and slowly going stir crazy.

  They all did their best to keep her company, as well as taking over watching Olivia so she could go out and visit friends now that she'd recovered from childbirth. Matt tried to go along with his wife on those visits, not just for her sake but because he wanted a chance to talk to people outside his official capacity as Mayor.

  Although the mantle never really left his shoulders, even in informal settings. And to be honest even on social calls he had to constantly fight his impulse to put the town first with requests or suggestions.

  Trev was getting on Matt's case more and more about piling all the town's tasks on the volunteer defenders, and his friend's carefully put accusation about how Matt used his friends wasn't forgotten. Matt had harbored concerns about just that for a while now, every time he leaned on friendship for the town's benefit. He'd tried to justify it because he was pushing himself harder than anyone working for the town, but that was a bad excuse and wasn't fair to anyone.

  So he talked it over with Catherine, who agreed that the town had a large pool of people who weren't contributing who could be encouraged to do so. Particularly those who were relying on some form of aid from the town, or had in the past. Considering how many people had received aid in the construction of their home, or during the rough times the town had gone through in the past, that was just about everyone.

  Which meant more work for Matt and the other town leaders, who couldn't rely on the people who were actually likely to agree to help where needed, and had to pester the more belligerent and unhelpful element in town. Considering everything the defenders had done Matt was willing to jump through those hoops for their sake, but it was definitely another mess dumped on his plate.

  In spite of all that, there was plenty to be grateful for going into Thanksgiving, and Matt was looking forward to it. His mom, dad, April, and Sam had been planning the meal for weeks, filling the hours trapped indoors by the cold with elaborate preparations using all the ingredients at their disposal, and some they did their best to trade for.

  It wasn't just the dinner, though. Weather permitting the town had planned an outdoor event for that morning: Gutierrez, Trev, Ben Thompson, and Robert Paulson had all agreed to organize and lead teams in a friendly touch football championship. Trev had recruited Matt for his team, along with Lewis and Rick Watson and several of the defenders. And while basketball was where Matt shone he wasn't half bad on the gridiron, either, which he intended to prove Thursday morning.

  But even more importantly than his own ego or a chance to have some fun, considering how important morale and camaraderie were for the town Matt intended to encourage the games to go forward, even through a light snowstorm.

  Although he shouldn't have planned for worst tolerable conditions, since of course that's what they got.

  * * * * *

  It was the Defenders against the Volunteers.

  Sure, most of Trev's team had volunteered to fight the blockheads down along Highway 31, and Gutierrez had a few defenders on his team. But all of the former soldier's teammates were volunteers, and all of Trev's were currently defenders. Add to that the fact that Trev was leading the town's defenses and the teams had pretty much named themselves.

  They'd already eliminated Robert's Builders and Ben's Newcomers, and both teams were now on the sidelines of the field they'd painstakingly cleared and marked just outside of town yesterday, cheering the final game along with crowd of townspeople. It was early enough that those who had to worry about preparing Thanksgiving dinner could come out for most of it, although more than a few had already left to start preparations, including Trev's mom, dad, aunt, and Mary, who'd be working together for a combined meal.

  Of course the early hours didn't do much for the bitter temperature, or the moderate snowfall that had been falling all night and deposited several inches on the field since they cleared it, and continued to fall during the games. Trev was glad they'd thought to mark all the lines with flags on stakes rather than anything lower to the ground, although it meant a lot more confusion for the refs when it came to determining first downs on the churned field of half-frozen mud.

  Nobody was really complaining about the imperfect conditions, though. Mostly they were all working off a bit of energy from being cooped up indoors, and not even gusting winds blowing snow in their faces was enough to dampen anyone's spirits. Everyone ran, shouted, laughed, panted, sweated, and occasionally collapsed onto their backs right on the slushy field.

  All except for Gutierrez: for the former soldier working off energy didn't begin to cover it. The guy played like he was at a championship game. Well technically he was, but like a serious game.

  Gutierrez wasn't any more skilled than other players, but his natural athletic ability and almost wild energy made him a force to be reckoned with. Trev was just glad it was touch football, they were well cushioned by cold weather clothing, and the mud made for a soft landing, or they might've found themselves dealing with injuries. As it was his friend ran harder and jumped more recklessly than anyone else, battling the poor conditions instead of the other team.

  For the most part. There were a few times where heated arguments almost turned to blows, most notably when Gutierrez's flying leap to tag Matt turned into a flying tackle instead, sending them both face first into the muck.

  Matt was surprisingly calm about it, although his cheek came up scraped from a rock. But the rest of the team wasn't all that happy about the former soldier manhandling their Mayor, especially during a friendly game. With some effort Trev managed to channel that outrage into trying harder to win.

  It was a good game, and Trev was able to get a pass to Matt who ran it for a touchdown. But even though the two teams were fairly evenly matched, aside from the one-man wrecking ball that was Gutierrez, and the Defenders played their best, they eventually lost a few key plays.

  The game ended up with a score that looked a lot more one-sided than it had felt, and the Defenders were more than a little dejected as they formed a line to shake hands w
ith the winning team, then tramped off the field to where loved ones and (just as importantly at the moment) hot chocolate in insulated containers waited for them.

  Trev comforted himself with all the usual lines, friendly game, it's not whether you win or lose, all of that. But he wasn't able to completely convince himself as he led his team towards the waiting crowd, who were sharing cheers and groans at their misfortune and the other team's final crushing score.

  His mood improved considerably when Deb met him with a fierce hug and an even fiercer kiss, to a few goodnatured cheers and hoots from onlookers.

  He'd noticed that in spite of the hesitancy his fiancee showed when it came to physical contact after all she'd suffered at the hands of the blockheads, she wasn't the least bit shy about public affection. She didn't mind doing things like that in front of an audience, and now that she was getting over her reservations and opening up to him they shared more and more hugs, kisses, or just holding each other.

  It was nice. No, it was fantastic, and at the moment it was heavenly.

  Deb finally pulled away, face flushed and brown-flecked green eyes dancing. “Nice playing.”

  Trev made a face. “Were you watching the same game?” he kidded.

  Before she could answer Gutierrez butted in to throw an arm around his shoulders. “Hey, none of that. You guys made a fight of it.” His smile widened. “Besides, you're the one who got the kiss coming off the field.”

  Deb's flush deepened slightly, and Trev felt his own creeping over his face. Their displays of affection weren't usually quite that public.

  Robert, who'd been hanging out on the sidelines with his team, spoke up. “Speaking of which, the big day is coming up fast. How does that feel?”

  Trev glanced at Deb, who beamed at him. “You mean marrying the love of my life?” he asked innocently, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Seems like it'll be pretty cool.”

  That drew a chorus of boos and general disapproval from the women in the crowd, and Deb lightly punched his arm. “Care to elaborate?” she said with mock sweetness.