In the Aftermath: Burning of the Dawn

by Coleman Thompson

  “Sound advice from an unsound mind,” answered Mary. “Go back to sleep, honey. I’ll keep the monsters away.”

  Sleep came again as Anthony was coaxed back into his slumber. Mary kept her word; Anthony was plagued no more by nightmares on that night. Sometime later he awoke again; this time to the light of day. There was a strange scrubbing sound coming from behind him. He turned over to find Mary brushing her teeth. Nearby, there was a can of water, a small box of baking soda, and a metal dog food bowl that Mary occasionally spit into. Mary had completely changed her attire; her shoddy cut-off shorts and Serena’s yellow sweater were no more. She had replaced them with a plaid, blue and white button up shirt that actually belonged to Anthony. It was much too large for Mary, but that was probably for the better. From what Anthony could tell, that shirt was all that she was wearing.

  “What’s up, buttercup?” Mary spoke after spitting out a mouth full of foamy water.

  “Hey,” Anthony replied as he scratched the sleep from his eyes. He vaguely remembered waking during the night. He knew he had at some point, but he couldn’t quite put together what had happened with the abyss. Nevertheless, he knew Mary had done something kind for him, again. He was grateful, but his gratitude was soon distracted by the absence of his mother. “Where’s my mom?” He meekly implored.

  “Down below, probably outside somewhere,” Mary answered. “She didn’t wanna wake you.”

  Anthony noticed the rifle missing. All of Mary’s other paraphernalia still remained, but his mother had taken the rifle for protection, even though Tahoe was supposedly safe. As the haze of Anthony’s after-sleep faded more thoroughly, he again looked to Mary. She was sitting directly in front of the sunlit ventilation duct, which caused her shape to be silhouetted in an almost angelic-like radiance. Mary looked lovely, but Anthony hastily turned away as the backlit glow also caused Mary’s plaid shirt to take on a transparent-like quality.

  Entrance to the loft was done by way of a trapdoor in the ceiling with a retractable, foldout ladder attached to the hatch. The hatch was open and the ladder was already lowered as Anthony climbed down into the house, leaving Mary alone with her grooming. The place could have done with a decent dusting, but overall the house was in good shape. The stale air that saturated the home when they had first arrived was mostly gone now. An open door to the back of the house was letting in the fresh, clean air from Emerald Bay. The backdoor led out onto a deck overlooking the bay. Anthony found his mother out here eating some canned tuna and admiring the view. The late morning air was chilly and the birds were swelling their songs. Serena loved it; her son was still apprehensive.

  “Hey mom,” Anthony greeted as he joined his mother at the edge of the porch. He tucked his arms under each other as he approached. The shine of the sun was nice, but these nippy mountain mornings weren’t doing Anthony any courtesies.

  “Hey, babe,” Serena answered blissfully. The sun rising over the eastern mountains and shining down upon the bay was a thing of beauty. Serena was unaffected by the cold. “You want some?” She offered her son the remaining tuna fish breakfast.

  “Sure,” Anthony took the can and began spearing pieces of fish with the little, plastic fork his mother had been using. As he ate, he noticed the rifle leaning against the porch railing on the other side of his mother. She might be content, but she was still cautious.

  Serena removed her sweater and placed it over Anthony’s shoulders as he ate. Her son was not as fond of the cold as she was. A breath of cool, morning air invigorated Serena more than any caffeinated drink or energy-boosting bar ever could. Of course, a cappuccino and power bar would have been nice, too, at that moment… not that she had any complaints about the tuna.

  “Thanks,” Anthony smiled as his mother sought to shield him from the cold. “Kinda cold up here.”

  “A little,” Serena began to pace the deck. “But I really like it.”

  “It’s nice.” Anthony watched his mother admire her surroundings. He wished he could adore this place as much as she and Mary did.

  “I’ll probably go back into town soon,” Serena stated. “I don’t like using the fuel, but it’s not that far and we could use some more supplies. Mary said she’s heading down to the bay, if you’d like to you can go with her.”

  “Why?” Sure the bay was pretty, but Anthony failed to see the point in seeing it any closer. Of course, Mary wasn’t exactly Miss Predictable; Anthony was confident that she had something strange in store.

  “I don’t know,” Serena answered. “But I’d like you to go.”

  That revelation surprised Anthony at first, but he soon caught on to what his mother was getting at. She felt safer with him staying with Mary than she did bringing him into town with her. “We should stay together,” Anthony stated.

  “Mary’s right, there’s nobody left in this place. I’ll be fine.”

  “If that’s true then why can’t I go with you?”

  “You’re welcome to go,” Serena’s tone did not seem very welcoming. “But… Mary can protect you better than I can. I’d feel better if I knew you were with her.”

  “That isn’t true,” Anthony suspected that it might be true; nevertheless, his mother was a capable woman. She could fight if she had to and she had kept them both alive for a long time without Mary’s help. “You got us out of danger in Utah and you kept us alive after that.”

  “And I almost got us killed.”

  “So did Mary.” Anthony set the tuna can on the railing and took a few steps towards the rifle. “She’s strong, she can fight, she’s… scary sometimes. But she’s not you.”

  “No, she’s not,” Serena conceded. “But she is a survivor, and she’s brave, and she’s smart. Just like you are.”

  Anthony picked up the rifle and looked it over. “I’m not that brave.” He replied. The rifle had had a rough life, but it still functioned and fired with superb accuracy – at least in Mary’s hands.

  “You are. I might not treat you like it sometimes, most times maybe, but that’s only ‘cause I’m a worrisome, ol’ fool.” Serena approached and kindly seized the rifle away from Anthony. “But I’m also your mother.”

  “But you still want me to stay with Mary, don’t you?” Anthony didn’t want to go back into town anyway. It would be pretty boring if his mother was leading the expedition. Serena’s style of looting was far more tedious and calculated than Mary’s shoot first and ask questions never approach. Anthony didn’t like his mother going off alone, but he was also aware that she wanted some time to herself – perhaps to cry; perhaps to scream. Plus, with his mother away it would just be him and Mary for a few hours. Anthony knew boredom would not be an issue there.

  “I do,” Serena spoke as she hugged her son with her free arm. “I won’t be gone long. Anything special you want?”

  Anthony remembered the tablet he took from the supermarket. “Yeah, a car-charger for this thing,” He took the tablet from his pocket and showed it to Serena. “I found it in the grocery store.”

  “Okay,” Serena looked the tablet over. “I could probably find you a newer one somewhere – an electronics shop maybe?”

  “Yeah, but those wouldn’t have anything on them. This one belonged to someone; it might have something on it that could be, I don’t know… useful, possibly?”

  “That’s very true.” Serena took the tablet. “I’ll take it with me and charge it on my way back.” She did not expect her son to find anything of any actual use on the tablet, but it never hurt to try and it would give him something to do.

  “Thanks,” Anthony picked up the tuna can and finished off the last bits of fish. “It might not have anything on it, but it’ll be fun to mess with technology again.”

  Mother and son soon proceeded into the house. Mary was out of the loft now and slightly more dressed. She had found some camouflage slacks that were left behind by the former residents of the house. They were too long, but Mary had attuned that with some quick and inaccurate knife work. She st
ill wore Anthony’s flannel shirt which was currently being held together by a single button fastened below her chest. Serena and Anthony found her in the kitchen rinsing out the dog-dish in the sink with a water bottle.

  “I’m gonna head into town now,” Serena informed Mary. “I’ll see what else I can scavenge.”

  “You all right by yourself?” Mary inquired. “I can come, too, if you want.”

  “I’ll be okay, thank you though.”

  “You’re with me, right, little brother?” Mary looked to Anthony; Serena had already informed her of her plans to scavenge solo.

  “I am, if that’s all right with you.” Anthony answered as he removed his mother’s sweater and returned it to her. He was then distracted by a partially covered tattoo on Mary’s stomach: it was a man and a woman about to kiss, but Mary’s navel just happened to be separating the two.

  “Goddamn right it’s all right,” Mary tossed her dog bowl into the sink. “Lady Mary’s gonna depart some knowledge onto you today, son!”

  “Cool, I’ll go get my sweater.” Anthony casually replied, and then left to go find a longer sleeved shirt.

  “That’s not a bad idea actually,” Mary spoke to Serena. “I love Tahoe, but damn it gets cold up in this cunt!”

  “Mary…” Serena spoke softly and motioned towards Mary’s open shirt.

  “Hmm? Oh, right…” Mary ran her hands down the flannel shirt. “Be grateful I even remembered one button.”

  “A few more wouldn’t hurt, if you don’t mind.”

  “It’s not like I’ve got much to see, hon’ – I’m always covered!” Mary undid her one button and flashed Serena. Serena could clearly see what Mary meant: the tattooing covered all. The largest of the tattoos was a rendition of The Scales of Justice drawn on Mary’s chest. They were uneven, however; the left scale covered most of Mary’s left breast, but the right scale was broken, and just beneath it was an inked skeletal hand that appeared to be clutching Mary’s right breast. Serena did not see much else as Mary closed her shirt and buttoned all of three buttons this time.

  “That’s all very interesting, but still, Anthony’s too young.” Serena admired Mary’s audacious nature, but the girl needed some limits.

  “Don’t worry, Mama Bear; I know he is…” Mary smiled mockingly. “For now.”

  “For now for a while,” Serena mocked back. “Do look after him for me, please.”

  “I will deliver him safe, sound, and uncorrupted!”

  “Thank you.” Serena spoke with a lightness she had not possessed in a long while. “We haven’t known each other long, but… I just…” She wanted to say something kind and appreciative to Mary, but she did not want to sound weak or defeated at the same time. Elegant words and heartfelt emotions were not Serena’s forte. Thankfully, Mary was happy to help her along.

  “I know, you love me, and I love you, too, sweetie…” Mary approached Serena as she spoke. “You and I, we’re like Thelma and Louise, my friend – but different!”

  “If you say so,” Serena held out the rifle to Mary. “You take this.”

  “Huh? Why?” Though confused, Mary still took the rifle. “Ya gotta get use to these things eventually, darlin’.”

  “It’s not that, it’s just, I’ll move quicker without it.”

  “All right, so take the pistol.”

  “No, I’ll be okay. This place is safe in the sunlight, right?”

  “As safe as any place can be, but shit…” Mary was aware that Serena’s scavenger hunt was mostly just to get some time alone for a while. Nevertheless, she could see no reason why a firearm shouldn’t accompany Serena. “Always be ready for when not safe happens.”

  “I’m not worried about me. Besides, you showed me where the gun shop is. I’m thinking maybe I’ll pick something out for myself while I’m there.”

  That statement brought a happy smirk to Mary’s mischievous lips. “Okay!” Mary shouldered the rifle. “Now you’re makin’ my kinda sense.”

  “Scary thought…” Serena bantered back.

  “Ya still need a weapon though until you get your gun.” Mary walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up Amy the Axe – who was now freshly cleaned and recently sharpened. Even though she was large, nearly eighteen inches long, Amy was more of a survivalist hatchet than an actual axe. She was made of blackened stainless steel with four holes of various sizes crafted into the body of the blade to lighten her weight. A spur on the rear side of the head of the hatchet helped with balance and accuracy if Amy needed to be thrown at something for whatever reason. Amy’s brutal elegance was topped off with a paracord wrapped handle, for wielder comfort.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary.” Serena stated with distress.

  “C’mon, she’s always brought me good luck, mostly.” Mary turned over Amy and held her handle out to Serena. “Think of her as an extension of me.”

  “How many people have you killed with this thing?” Serena immediately regretted asking that.

  “Hah! A few, but ya see, it’s best not to think of things like that. Don’t worry so much about what she’s done, but look ahead with wonder for what she’s truly capable of doing.”

  “Fine, I’ll take her… the axe… with me.” Serena snatched Amy from Mary. The murderous blade caught Serena’s stare. Amy was a terrible looking thing, yet she still had a presence about her. Mary was not wrong; it was as if the hatchet really was an extension of who she was. Whatever the sensation was, Serena felt it, and the feeling did not displease her.

  “Ah, you two do look adorable together.” Mary mocked as Serena held the hatchet awkwardly, with both hands now, far away from her body; to which Mary soon acknowledged: “But you need to relax a little, babe: hold her gently; hold her fondly; hold her as if you were holding your lover.”

  “Maybe this is how I’d hold my lover.” Serena answered stoically.

  “Oh, well, wow, that’s… really sad.” Mary had half a mind to take Amy right back.

  “All right, I’m leaving now, Mary. Thank you, again, for…” Serena held up Amy with one hand and looked both the hatchet and Mary over for a moment. She then smiled and added, “For everything.”

  Mary watched and waved as Serena left the kitchen. Mother and son met briefly in the living room before Serena left Anthony in Mary’s uniquely tender care. They said little to one another, only an ephemeral see you soon, and then Serena was gone. Anthony joined Mary in the kitchen as soon as his mother departed.

  Enthusiasm and anxiety were both stirring in Anthony’s gut. He had been alone with Mary Murder before, but that was only for a brief amount of time and they were both in a race against the sun. Now he was going to be alone with her for hours and neither of them were in any hurry to do anything. Mary was currently at the kitchen cabinet unloading the rifle for reasons unknown. Eventually, Anthony mustered up the moxie to speak.

  “Why are you doing that?” He asked warily.

  Mary did not answer directly. After she finished unloading the rifle she walked past Anthony and said, “Follow me” and then proceeded out the back door. Anthony followed her. They headed down the local road, which led to their house, and ultimately ended up on the highway overlooking the bay. From there, Mary detoured off of the highway and down the hillside. She and Anthony soon came upon a trail.

  “Okay,” Mary spoke. “This’ll do.” She then handed Anthony the rifle.

  “What are we doing?” He asked, confused.

  “I’m gonna give you a few pointers,” explained Mary. “On killing.”

  “Oh,” Anthony replied. Any knowledge is useful knowledge, he told himself. Mary proceeded a short distance down the trail to a large, broken tree branch lying across the path. She placed a small rock upon it and then returned to Anthony and took up a position just behind him.

  “Aim the rifle at the rock.” Mary spoke softly, but firmly.

  Anthony did as Mary commanded. Even though the gun was empty of any bullets, a rush of excitement and anxiety stil
l flooded throughout his body.

  “Lower your butt a little,” Mary tapped the butt end of the rifle; it was too high on Anthony’s shoulder. “Bury this part deep in your shoulder. You don’t want it hangin’ high like that when you fire. You might end up smackin’ yourself in the face.” Anthony adjusted the rifle via Mary’s directions.

  “Okay, now what?” Anthony implored fervently.

  “Look down the barrel,” Mary guided him with her fingers. “Keep both eyes open; line up the rear sight with the front sight and target the rock up ahead. It’ll seem awkward at first, blurry and unfocused, but give it a moment. Your eyes will adjust.”

  It was tempting to shut his left eye to aid in targeting the rock, but Anthony did as Mary told him. He had shot pellet rifles before and had always aimed with just his right eye. That was for fun though, and not a training exercise in the matters of life and death. Ultimately, Mary was right; Anthony’s vision aligned both the sights and the target.

  “Once you have your target in your sights, do NOT pull the trigger,” Mary reached around Anthony and put her right hand upon his hand. “Squeeze the trigger delicately,” she guided her finger onto his shooting finger. “It moves easy at first, but then there’s tension. You can feel the pressure building as you squeeze it tighter. You can feel it in your finger; in your hand; in your arm; you can hear it sometimes, too. Breathe in deeply and then slowly exhale. While you’re breathing out, find your target and end its existence.” The rifle clicked as the trigger reached its climax.

  The empty shot was a bit of a surprise. The trigger had gone off a little quicker than Anthony had anticipated, but he was still pleased with his efforts and was confident that he would have taken out the rock. He smiled as he looked back to Mary. His smile immediately froze as he noticed Mary smiling right back… and holding up a single bullet.

  “You’ve got one shot, little brother,” Mary informed him. “Make it count.”

  “Are you sure?” Anthony was anxious, yet not that apprehensive. He wanted to do this.