As a doctor, Maria would manage everyone’s health and medical issues while Gordo took on some of the agricultural workload. That left Carrie without as much to do, although she gladly accepted Maria’s invitation to be her nursing staff. No one expected Carrie to cook and clean all day, and she wasn’t a stellar cook anyway. But she was still determined to make herself useful.
The following evening McLean caught Carrie standing on the front porch, staring silently off into the distance. He went out to chat with her.
“You can’t see Denver from here,” he said, sidling up next to her. “Even with binoculars.”
Carrie sighed. “Right. I’m just thinking.”
“It’s okay,” McLean said. “You left a lot behind there. Grieve all you need to.”
“I’m not grieving,” Carrie retorted. “I didn’t lose anybody that was close to me. I just… I wonder what’s become of it all. And how we might have prevented it.” She sighed again and turned to face McLean. “I guess I’m just not ready to give up on the world.”
McLean tapped a toe against the wooden porch pillar, looking out over the pasture and up to the mountains beyond.
“Well, hold on to that,” he finally said, a note of resignation in his voice. “It may be important someday. I know it’s hard to shift your thinking so radically, and believe me, I didn’t ‘give up’ lightly. I had the optimism beaten out of me before I finally decided to prepare myself and let the ship sink as it wished. But I like to think that some day this old world will come around again, come to its senses. And if it does, I’ll be the first one to help it to its feet. Maybe you’re going to be a big part of that recovery.”
He swatted a horsefly away. “You should talk to DJ. Maybe the two of you can come up with a plan of action. Just see that it doesn’t interfere with our efforts here, or put us in harm’s way, okay? I owe it to the group we’ve formed not to let that happen.” Carrie nodded, and McLean drifted away to button up the stable and the front gate before turning in.
As the evening breezes settled into the valley from the pine-crested peaks above, Carrie remained on the porch, thinking. There was a light in her eyes now that hadn’t been there since before the walls came tumbling down.
Algor Dennison lives in Idaho, where everyone else is going to go when the world ends. If you enjoyed this novella, he welcomes criticism, witticism, and reviews at Amazon.com, and you can sign up to be notified of future releases here. You may also enjoy:
Take Back Denver (Part Two of the Denver Burning series) – available soon
Crashdown
A short, fast-paced read about an ordinary neighborhood that ends up bugging out during a full-scale societal collapse.
Veteran of a Thousand Battles
Uncanny satire about a man’s violent defense of his home.
A Darkened Landscape
A short trilogy of western horror.
Blinding Moon
Three short stories about werewolves.
Get Out of Denver (Denver Burning Book 1) Page 15
