by Mark Goodwin
Danny grinned from ear to ear. “And I’m going to be a dad.”
A tear ran down Alisa’s cheek. “I’m excited, but I’m worried, too.”
Danny sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around his young wife. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m going to take care of you and the baby. We have food, shelter, security, and family. Everything is going to be fine.” Danny also had his concerns about the world in which they lived. But, he would keep those to himself. He considered it part of his paternal duties. He would do the worrying so Alisa wouldn’t have to.
Danny stood and zipped up his pack. He placed it in the closet, out of sight from Alisa. He would wait to give her the sweater for her birthday or perhaps Christmas. Times were tough, and gifts were few and far between. “Come on down if you feel like you can eat something.”
“I will.” She smiled lovingly at him.
Danny winked as he walked out the bedroom door. “I love you. You’re going to be a wonderful mom.”
Danny reached the dining room table and sat down.
Dana, Antoine, Gwen, Cami, and Catfish were all at the table. Miss Jennie would sometimes sit and eat with them, but more often, she was buzzing around and making sure everyone else had everything they needed. The Reeses and the Castells typically ate breakfast separately with their respective family members.
Catfish spooned his scrambled eggs onto a biscuit with a piece of steak. “We’ve done blessed the food.”
“Thanks.” Danny took the bowl of eggs as Dana passed them to him. A meat plate with several steaks was in the center of the table. Danny stuck his fork in one and placed it on his dish. Since they’d just slaughtered a cow, beef would be served at every meal for the next two days.
Cami sat on the other side of Danny. “Congratulations.”
“We haven’t officially announced anything, but thank you.” Danny poured a little honey on a biscuit.
“A baby will be a welcome distraction. It’s just what we need around here. Alisa will have all the help she needs.” Cami sounded more upbeat than she’d been since Nick’s death.
Danny sipped his coffee. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. We got you something at the flea market.”
“Really? That’s nice, Danny.” Cami put her hand on his arm.
Dana started to get up. “It’s in my room. I’ll go get it.”
“Don’t interrupt your breakfast on my account,” Cami said.
Dana stood. “I’m pretty much finished. Besides, I’m anxious to see if you like it.”
Dana hurried up the stairs and returned seconds later. “We found a pair of jeans and a pair of cargo pants for you.”
Cami took the clothes as Dana handed them to her. “These are perfect. Thank you so much!”
“I don’t reckon nobody got me nothin’.” Catfish scowled.
Miss Jennie stood near the table. “You hush up! I gave you two pairs of Howard’s overalls, nearly brand new, and all you ever wear is them same ol’ dingy overalls we always see you in. Them is the filthiest things I’ve ever seen in my life. You better warsh ‘em before you start gettin’ sores on your skin.”
“Them overalls of Howard’s weren’t broke in.” Catfish looked like a scolded pup.
Miss Jennie put her hands on her hips. “Then break ‘em in! As a matter of fact, I best not catch you back in this house until you’ve warshed them nasty things you’re a wearin’. If you want to be filthy like a hog, you can eat outside like a hog.”
“I’ll warsh ‘em, Miss Jennie. Quit yer fussin’.” Catfish stood up and took his empty plate to the kitchen.
Danny looked around the table at Cami, Dana, Gwen, and Antoine. Like himself, they were also suppressing the urge to giggle. With no television or radio, watching Miss Jennie give Catfish a hard time was about the most entertainment they got.
Danny looked under the table. Puddin’ was playing with his shoe laces. The cat also provided a steady supply of amusement for the group. Puddin’ was well fed, so she was always happy to perform anytime she had an audience.
“Antoine said you guys are going up to Concord.” Cami sipped her coffee. “How long do you think you’ll be?”
“We’ll go on Friday. I hope to be back on Saturday, but don’t get worried if we’re not. I’m not sure how easy it will be to convince Sheriff Parnell to attack the Charlotte airport.”
“You and Alisa should move into my RV,” Cami said.
“We couldn’t.” Danny shook his head.
“You’ll need more room with the baby. Take it. I don’t need all that space.” Cami smiled at him.
“No, no!” Gwen interjected. “I’m living in a thirty-four-foot trailer all by myself. Danny and Alisa should take it and let me move in upstairs. Cami, that RV is your home. All your stuff is there. Your memories with Nick.”
“Are you sure?” Cami asked.
Gwen reached across the table and took Cami’s hand. “I insist.”
“Thank you, Gwen. I appreciate it,” Danny said.
Miss Jennie began clearing the dishes from the table. “Dana ought to’ve moved out to the trailer with Glenda. Then, Daniel could keep the youngin’ in the other room upstairs. That youngin’ is gonna be over here all the time anyway.”
Cami replied, “No, Nana. Danny and Alisa need their own space. They’re a growing family now.”
Danny smiled at his sister. “Thanks.”
“Well, maybe you’re right.” Miss Jennie’s voice sounded disappointed.
Danny stood to help his grandmother with the dishes. “We won’t be far, Nana. Like you said, we’ll be over here all the time.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a good boy, Daniel. You’ll make a fine daddy.”
After breakfast, Danny and Alisa walked to the large garden behind the house where they found Tracey and Melissa with all the children.
Danny walked up to Jason Reese and tousled his hair. “Why aren’t you in school?”
“We’re picking green beans. Mom is going to teach us how to can them. That’s our lesson for the day.”
Alisa winked at him. “It sounds like better curriculum than what I had when I was in school.”
Kalie Reese was working in the row next to her big brother. “And it’s more fun!”
“I’m sure it is,” Alisa said.
“Do you guys need help with the green beans?” Danny asked Tracey.
“I think we’ve got enough child labor to handle this. Just don’t report me to DCFS.” She winked.
Melissa pointed across the field. “You might find a ripe cantaloupe or two for lunch. Some of the peas are ready to pick also.”
Danny picked up his bucket and waved. “Okay, see you soon.”
Alisa followed him. “It’s going to be strange.”
“How so?”
“I’ll be one of the moms. I won’t be one of the girls like Gwen and Dana anymore.”
Danny held her hand as they walked. “You’ll still be one of the girls. Dana and Gwen will want to help out with the baby all the time.”
“Thanks, Danny. You really are sweet and sensitive sometimes.”
As they worked in the garden, Chris joined them. “Need some help?”
“The more the merrier.” Alisa looked up, then continued picking the peas.
“Is Jack on watch?” Danny asked.
“Yep. Jack wants to go with you guys on Friday. I’ll come too if you need me.”
Danny kept picking. “Thanks for the offer, but I want to keep it small.”
“We could follow from a distance. Like an overwatch team.”
Alisa jumped into the conversation. “You should let them, Danny. It’s a long way across a lot of territory filled with desperate people.”
“She’s right.” Chris picked a handful of peas and dropped them in Danny’s bucket. “You heard Ranger Dave’s radio update on Sunday. More hijackings have been reported by his ham network in the surrounding areas.”
Danny glanced up at his pregn
ant wife. “That leaves no one here to protect the compound.”
“Catfish will be here. Dana works security shifts. Cami and Melissa can both shoot. I’ve been working with Jason. He could handle an AR-15 if he had to.” Chris tossed another fistful of peas in the bucket. “Even without us, this farm is a hard target. More so than most.”
“Danny, since I can’t go, at least take Jack and Chris for an overwatch team. I’ll be worried sick the whole time you’re gone as it is. I can’t handle what I went through when you and JC were gone. Please. Do it for me.”
Danny reluctantly looked up at Chris. “I guess I’ll have to take you up on your offer.”
“Good.” Chris continued picking. “It’s the smart thing to do.”
That night, Danny was out the minute his head hit the pillow. The heavy workload of farm work outweighed the stress of the circumstances, and Danny slept deeply. Soon, his consciousness was far from reality. He dreamed of an open field. A heavy fog undulated like ocean waves across the expanse. The fog slowly rose up past his knees. It was thick and heavy. Danny had to exert himself to move through it. Above, the night sky was crystal clear and filled with stars. Up there, the air was light and free, but on the earth where Danny walked, the fog was murky and dense.
Danny knew what to expect. He looked around, wondering where the cow would emerge from. A shiver of fear ran up his spine as he anticipated what putrid form it might take. All the cows he had dreamed of thus far had been dreadful and vile. He looked for the creature out of a desire to get the experience over with. Not a bone in his body had the least bit of inclination to see another of these ghastly fiends.
He heard a breath behind him. Tepid air fell upon the back of his neck, like the exhalation of something neither dead nor alive. A chill shot all through his flesh, standing every hair on end. He dreaded turning around, but the thing had to be done. It was not some burdensome task that could be avoided or put off until tomorrow.
Danny winced as he turned around. There it was, skinny and gaunt. Flesh stretched over bone, eyes hollow and empty. The unimaginable wraith stood before him as having flesh, but he knew it as the repugnant apparition that it really was. The sickeningly sweet smell of death permeated the air all around.
Danny stood motionless and quiet, awaiting the revelation that would accompany the vision. He forced himself to look upon the beast, but nothing happened. It stood there, doing no other thing but breathing its half-dead breath and staring at Danny.
Danny looked into the manifestation’s eyes. They were deep. He looked closer. Like a crystal ball, Danny could see something inside. A prison. A man hanging from a chain, bleeding, beaten, swollen, and barely alive. Danny whispered to himself, “Who is that?” He looked deeper. “It’s JC. He’s still alive!”
Danny tore off the wet tee-shirt and silently got up to retrieve a fresh one from the closet. He was determined not to wake Alisa. This dream was obvious and needed no interpretation. If JC was still alive, Danny had to go after him. He knew JC would do the same for him. Danny also knew how much it would worry Alisa if he told her that he was going back to the airport. He wouldn’t tell her or anyone anything until the time came. He would keep this dream to himself.
The next two days passed quickly. Danny and Alisa switched living quarters with Gwen. This activity kept them busy, and Friday morning soon arrived. Danny stuffed his pistol belt into the bottom of his pack and zipped on his load-carrying vest. He stuck his Glock into the holster on the front of the vest and began shoving magazines for his AK-47 into the attached mag pouches.
Alisa watched him get ready. “I guess my gun-fighting days are over for a while.”
“Your gun-fighting days are over for good.” Danny opened an ammo box on the floor and began loading rounds into another AK mag.
“It was exciting.”
“Being a mom will be exciting. I like that job better for you.” Danny continued his task.
“Which vehicles are you taking?”
“The F-150 and the tan Hummer.”
“Are you driving the Hummer?”
“No. We’ll be up front in the F-150. Jack and Chris will follow a quarter mile back in the Humvee. And of course, the middle seat is suddenly too tight for Gwen. She’s riding with Jack.”
“In her defense, Antoine easily takes up half of the seat in the truck. But, you’re right. I’m sure Jack being in the Humvee has something to do with her choice of vehicles.
“Why doesn’t the Humvee take the lead? It has better protection if you’re attacked.”
Danny stuffed the loaded magazine in his backpack and began loading another. “If we run into an outpost of Schlusser’s men, the Humvee will stick out more. If we’re spotted in the truck and we turn around, they’re less likely to pursue us. If they see that Hummer, they’ll know we’re militia and give chase.”
Alisa sighed. “I wish you weren’t going.”
He paused from loading the mag. “Me, too.” He did not want to leave her alone, especially since she was carrying his baby. “But I’ll be safe, and I’ll be back.”
“Promise?”
Danny leaned forward and kissed her. He put his hand on her stomach and looked in the direction of his unborn child. “I promise.”
Alisa watched as he finished packing his bag and zipped it up. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Or Sunday.” Danny slung the backpack over his shoulder and picked up his rifle.
Alisa’s face showed her disappointment. “Sunday?”
“It’s hard to say how long this will take. I hope we can go in and strike a deal with this guy in a matter of hours, but who knows?”
“Try to come back Saturday.” She pleaded with him, her eyes longing like an orphan begging bread. “If you can.”
His soul ached. “If I can, you know I will. I love you.”
“You, too. Be safe.” She held her pillow for comfort. “I’ll be praying for you.”
“Bye.” He closed the door behind him. Danny had learned the best way to leave was quickly, like tearing off a Band-Aid. Lingering goodbyes only drag out the pain. They can become like a spider web where the more you wriggle and try to get loose, the more entangled you become.
Danny jogged over to the house to say goodbye to his grandmother. Miss Jennie hugged him. “Ain’t you gonna eat before you run off?”
Danny just wanted to leave. He’d said his farewells to the mother of his child and needed to get on the road before emotion overtook him. “We’ll eat in Pickens, but thanks, Nana. I’ll see you soon.”
“At least take a mess of biscuits. You can eat them on the road.” Miss Jennie put several biscuits in a paper bag and followed him to the truck. “And y’all ain’t goin’ nowhere less’n I pray for ya.”
“We’d be honored if you would.” Danny opened the door of the F-150 and placed his backpack and rifle in the middle of the cab.
Antoine was already there waiting at the truck. Miss Jennie waved to Chris and Jack. “Y’all get over here. I’m gonna pray a blessin’ over ya.”
The two Castell boys made their way over to the truck.
“Where’s Glenda?”
Jack laughed as he always did at Miss Jennie’s mispronunciation. “Gwen is almost ready.”
“Well, run and fetch her. She’s holdin’ up the show!” Miss Jennie hollered.
Jack sprinted to the house to get Gwen. The two of them returned in a couple of minutes.
“Everyone, take a hand and bow your heads.” Miss Jennie lowered her head. “Lord, keep your children from evil, guide them and protect them, and give them travelin’ mercies. A lot of mean folk is in this old world, Lord. I pray you’d keep ‘em clear of Danny and the rest of this bunch. Bring ‘em all back to us safe and sound. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Amen.” Danny looked up. “Thank you, Nana.”
The two teams loaded into their respective vehicles. Danny pressed the talk button on his radio. “Jack, can you read me?”
“Loud and c
lear,” the radio came back.
Danny pressed the talk key again. “We’ll get out on the road and do another comms check when you’re a quarter mile back or so.”
“Roger that.”
Danny spoke into the radio once more. “Let’s roll.”
“How are you feeling about the trip?” Antoine asked.
“It depends on whether Ranger Dave made contact. I won’t feel good about it at all if we’re showing up to Concord uninvited.”
“I concur.” Antoine looked out the window.
Danny took a biscuit from the bag and passed it to his traveling companion. As he ate, he drank in the passing scenery of early summer. The greens were brighter than at any other season. The grass, vibrant like fresh avocado, glistened in the morning dew. The leaves of the trees shimmered in the morning light like a slice of lime, wet with its own juice.
Antoine finished chewing, took another biscuit, and passed the bag back to Danny. “It’s not really an apocalypse as long as Miss Jennie can keep making biscuits.”
Danny took the bag and chuckled. “Yeah. Small pleasures go a long way in keeping my spirits up.”
Danny continued a little further and checked the rearview. The Humvee was nowhere in sight. He pressed the talk button. “Jack, can you still read me?”
“Roger that.” Jack’s voice came back crystal clear.
Danny kept a watch out for potential trouble but saw none. The team arrived at the flea market roughly an hour after they left, without incident.
Ben met Danny at the back gate, opening it so they could pull inside the compound. “Good morning.”
Danny leaned out the window as he pulled through the gate. “Good morning. Chris is right behind me in the Humvee.”
“Have you had breakfast?” Ben stood watching for the Hummer.
“A couple of my Nana’s biscuits.” Danny got out and closed the door.
Ben waved to Chris when the Humvee appeared. “You need more than that for the trip you’re going on.”
Antoine exited the vehicle. “I could eat.”
