At Night's End

by Benham, Tara

  "I'm ready if you are!" Ever was outside of the bathroom door.

  I was just finishing getting dressed. We had both figured that we would wear work clothes in preparation for whatever assignment we were given. I had picked some old holey jeans, and a plain white tank top, but I wasn't sure what I would see when I walked out to join Ever. I love her style, she always made any situation bright with her clothing choices! Ever should go into clothing design if we get a chance to be normal adults. She is so creative, and unique, and brave. She tries to dress me sometimes, but I just can't pull it off. I prepare myself as I open the door. There is Ever, dressed in green tight jeans, a black tank top with "Hottie" wrote on it, so not too bad till I notice the bright orange rain boots she has on with it.

  "Nice!"

  "I thought you might enjoy them! I got them this last shopping trip with the mother”. Ever never actually calls her mom "Mom" or "Mother" it was either "the maternal figure", "the mother" or sometimes even just "her". Ever was ten when she started living with us, Kryst didn't really mind because it freed up her schedule for more parties. Kryst set up Ever a bank account and both her and her dad put money into the account. She never needed to use the money unless it was outside her normal expense because Dad cared for her, just like he did us. He's offered to buy her a car like he did for me, but she always turns him down saying she can hitch a ride with me.

  "Fabulous! Now, let's go face the Dad."

  "Do you think he's talked to the guys yet?"

  "I can assure you that he has. I would even venture to say he woke the guys up this morning, just to talk to them about the situation." Dad would never really fire the guys, because they were good at what they do, but he would threaten them if he really thought that we had done something inappropriate. Dad was in the kitchen when we got downstairs.

  "Morning girls." Dad was sitting at the table eating a sandwich for lunch. He looks like he had already been working outside.

  "Morning Dad." I gave him a kiss on the top of his head as I passed to get some cereal for me and Ever.

  "Hiya Dad" Ever plopped down at the table. "So what's the punishment for our indiscretions?"

  "Well I spoke with the guys, and they had the same story, so that is one week of grounding, and you guys will be helping with building the moat. I want to have it done in a week or less. After your classes each day you will complete any assigned work for those classes, and then offer any assistance that you can. Plus training with the masters is off for you two for a week." As Dad was talking about the moat, Ever looked up at me, and I made a told you so face, but Ever being Ever she made just the slightest movement of her eyebrow that only I knew meant she was laughing on the inside. To Dad, she had no expression at all. The working with the moat wasn't a surprise, but Dad had never banned us from the masters. However, we had never hung out with the masters socially before either.

  "Yes sir"

  "So, Mr. Dobbins." Ever only called him by his former name when she was about to present an idea. I remembered at the exact moment the fence, and groaned internally knowing the conversation that was about to happen. All I could do is sit and listen as I tried to enjoy my morning cereal.

  "Yes, Miss Clemont?" Dad had an air or amusement from such formal speak. He enjoyed that at least one of the girls in his house truly took interest in his works of protection. For hours and hours, both him and Ever could plan and plot and discuss strategies without even laughing or joking. I've talked with Ever on many of nights why she does it, and she said because even if she wasn't sure it would ever happen, but if Zombies did attack she wanted us safe. We were her only family and she wanted to make sure everything was thought of that could be.

  "I have an idea for something to increase protection, along with the moat. I may or may not have gotten the suggestion for the idea last night at the bon fire from one Mr. Grayson." Grayson was Micah's last name. I stifled a chuckle by pretending to cough. Only Ever would know how to turn our punishment into a way to show Dad that it was for the better of the household.

  "Please do continue, Miss Clemont."

  "Well, what if we had a fence installed about ten feet past the moat, which could raise up, or... or even better...” Ever was so excited by whatever thought she just had that a grin spread across her entire face and she began bouncing in her seat. Dad chuckled. "Or what if it was an 'invisible' fence that uses radar or sonar to detect and bar passage through from a designated distance under the ground to so far high into the trees? I mean, you could conceptually do that right, Dad?' Ever loved coming up with things that Dad hadn't thought of or that he could create and then sell, if she didn't go into design she would definitely head an inventions company or be in emergency management seeing as she was a pro at the What If game.

  Dad looked thoughtful for a while before speaking. "I think you may be on to something, Ever. After we finish eating, let's you and I go into the lab and see what we can come up with, and you, Caid can go out and see if the team needs anything." Ever winked, she knew I didn't mind that she got out of helping with the moat, because she still would be stuck in the lab for however long it would take until they came up with a viable plan to make her fence workable.

  "Okay well when you decide to resurface from the dark cave, be sure to update me." I teased them both. Grabbing my bowl, Ever's bowl and Dad’s plate, I got up to put them in the dishwasher while they headed towards the lab. I knew with the way those two were, it would be hours before they would emerge again. The lab was in the basement, but could only be accessed through a passage of hidden tunnels, that lead to a full scale lab equipped to the max of everything a scientist could dream of having. The amount of money we had was absurd, and people in town knew we were wealthy, but no one except a few people at the bank and Dad's accountant fully understood the obscene amount of money that my Dad had saved, and made by creating and selling his inventions and cures. Some might even say he was a mad scientist, but fortunately for me, and the world, he was using his insanity for the better, not trying to take it over. I finished in the kitchen, and ran out towards the noise of the team working on the moat.

  "Hi, I'm McCaid Dobbins. My dad sent me out to see if I could get you all anything, or help you with anything."

  As I was introducing myself to the head guy, Micah strolled up to us. Micah had on work overalls, dirty boots and a black t-shirt. He was grinning like he knew a secret, as he waited for us to finish our introductions. Studying him out of the corner of my eye, I could totally see why Ever thought he was cute. I prefer dark hair, but it was hard to not like Micah. He was always happy, especially since he's been living with us. When he first arrived he was sullen and backwards, but he has definitely came out of his shell lately.

  "Hi, Miss Dobbins. I'm Mr. Frank Greens, but you can call me Frankie. I'm the foreman. Right now, we are just mapping out where we are going to dig the moat, but if you could walk the route with us and give us any possible information on the lay of the land that would be greatly appreciated." Frankie was an older, heavier set man with crinkly eyes, and an easily given smile. I instantly knew he would be fun to have around while they finished the new project.

  "Frankie, this is Micah Grayson, he lives here as well, and has former military training, he may be able to assist you as well."

  "Hello, Sir."

  "Hello, Mr. Grayson, please join us." They shared a hardy handshake like old friends before heading over to meet up with the rest of the crew.

  "Thank you. I haven't really gotten to explore the property as well as I had hoped, but there are a few places I may know that I might be able to give opinions on." Micah was grinning his lazy grin which was met with one from Frankie. I knew this day would be a good day even if I was supposed to be grounded.

  We all began grabbing equipment as we prepared to head out into the woods to start mapping out the moat that would exist in less than a week. The fifty acres of trees that surrounded our house closely resembled a forest more than just woods. It was heavily covered
, and densely filled with a variety of indigenous trees. It had a lush under growth covered with a variety of vines, weeds and flowers. My favorite memory of moving here is when I got to first explore the forest. I loved the sounds of the wild animals, and the way the wind rustled the leaves. It was musky and earthly smelling. Closing my eyes, I could almost imagine a time when forests were the most populous places on earth, they were ancient and majestic. Almost every story, myth and legend involved a forest. This was the place to come to escape, to dream, to play make believe of fairies and trolls. I found comfort in the woods, and was glad to be exploring it on such a pretty day. Deciding that I should end the silence, as well as entertain Micah as we trekked along, I began to tell him about the fence.

  "I’ll have you know, Micah, that because of you; we will also potentially be getting a fence, newly created by one Miss Clemont and my Dad. They're in the lab right now conjuring up plans on how to incorporate this new fence so as not to affect the wild life on the property."

  Micah's eyebrows shot up in amusement, and wonder. "So a fence, did I get any credit for this fence or did Miss Clemont take all the credit for herself? Oh by the way, I'm sorry we got you two into trouble."

  "No worries, our punishments are worse in Dad's mind than we really find them to be, besides it was totally worth it. And yes, Ever did credit you, but unfortunately I think it was more to prove to Dad that it was not all bad that we hung out with you two, than it was to give you actual credit."

  "Well that's good to know." Micah's loud guffaw from my admission startled the guys walking in front of us and a few birds that flew off from whatever branch they had been perched on. Micah's laugh was deep and hearty. The team turned at looked at us, expecting an answer for the sudden outburst, but I just giggled and made my fingers twirl around my temple signifying he’s crazy. There were a few groans and grunts, but they decided they didn't care enough and went back to what they were doing before. "So tell me about the fence idea." Micah was still chuckling.

  "I don't really know all the details, yet. But apparently it'll be like the invisible ones for dogs, or similar but will go so far down underground to block digging, and so far up into the trees. That's about the extent of my knowledge on it, because shortly after it was brought up Dad and Ever headed to the lab to begin working on it. I guess it's going to be about five feet away from the outside edge of the moat." I was watching the build team ahead of us map on their paper, and mark trees as we followed some pre-laid out path. I knew we would be coming up to a hill soon, so I excused myself to Micah and ran up to Frankie.

  "Hey Frankie, we're about to come upon a hill, and on the other side of it's a natural spring and sink hole, I don't know what Dad may have said about it, but maybe we can curve around to have the spring and sink hole on our side of the moat?" I know we have a self-contained well that we can rely on, but the thought of destroying or blocking something that could potentially be of use one day really bothered me. Of all the acres that we have, and that Dad has let us explore, this area was my favorite. This area made me think of a naturally created meditation area. Sometimes, when I needed to think, be alone, or just escape the insanity of my house and family I came to this location. There was a natural spring that was in a sink hole that looked like a well and had fallen trees, and open lawn area and natural yarrow. During outdoor survival training we learned that the scientific name was Achillea millefolium. Master Walter was a botanist and was a part of the training we received last summer. Walter explained that the plant could be used for herbal medications, and using Ever's method of thinking I knew that we may one day need these flowers. "Also, Frankie, there are natural flowers in the lawn attached to the spring that I'd like to have access to, if that's okay, and will work into a path that is okay with your plans."

  "I have no problem with that, and that decreases the work my guys have to do with cutting into the natural lay of the land. Thank you. Hey guys, we are going around the hill!" Frankie turned and winked at me after he yelled the instructions to the guys.

  "Thank you!" I made my way back to Micah. He was talking to someone that I couldn't quite see as I walked towards him. As I got closer, I heard the deep boom and accented voice of Henry, my pace increased. "Hey guys." I grinned at Henry and Micah.

  "Hi McCaid!" Henry was wearing jeans and a plain gray t-shirt. The shirt was tight, and showed off his sculpted back, arm and chest muscles. I was staring at the ridges of the muscles, when I heard Micah clear his throat.

  "Um, so what'd you have to go tell Frankie so quickly?" Micah was doing his best to hide the chuckle. I felt heat spreading across my cheeks, and I felt like I was glowing.

  "To tell him to build the moat around the natural spring. It has flowers that can be used for herbal purposes, plus I come out here sometimes as a hideaway."

  "Will you show me?" Henry seemed genuinely interested in seeing the location.

  "We can do it really quickly, but I have to keep up with Frankie to make sure to assist him with mapping out the moat plans."

  "Ok. Where is your partner in crime?" Henry was teasing; he seemed to enjoy Ever.

  "She's locked in the lab with Dad. Because of genius over there," I made a pointed look at Micah, who at least had the decency to appear sheepish, "we will also be getting a newly designed fencing system that will be on the other side of the moat."

  "Nice!” He then high-fived Micah. “Well we better go check out the spring, and then catch up with the build team."

  Henry lately seems to be getting braver with toeing the line of my dad’s rule, when it came to seeing me outside the designated master/student assigned time. Deep down, I hope it's because he wants to spend time with me, but I didn't have the time to dwell upon right now. Walking towards the spring, I lost thought of both Henry and Micah and focused on the smell of fresh grass, the tinkle of the water splashing and the whistle of the winds through the trees. This was happiness, and I was glad that I would still have this even once the moat was installed. Suddenly the moat made me wonder about the other wild life.

  "How is the moat going to affect the wildlife? Do you guys know?" I looked at both Henry and Micah, who in turned shrugged. "Hmmm, I will have to ask Dad and Frankie."

  I enjoyed the natural wildlife that existed on our land, but being the practical self that Dad and Ever had made me, I was worried about natural food sources as well. I knew that we might one day need to kill the animals that were free and abundant, and didn't know if the moat would cause them to not be able to move freely. Moments of clarity like this made me think that maybe the training could be useful, even if a catastrophic event never happens. We do hunt and preserve the meat in the storage area of the basement, so that we would have some, when and if needed, but the thought of not having any fresh meat ever again made me a little worried. I showed the guys the spring and the flowers quickly, and then rushed them to be able to catch up with Frankie.

  "Hey, I have a question about the wildlife and the moat?" The concern must have showed on my face, because the smile that had been present on Frankie’s face faded when he turned to face me.

  "The plans that your dad made will allow the wildlife to move freely until the time that may call for the moat to be filled. Every one hundred yards, there will be a land bridge that if the moat is activated will collapse and wash away. As we are mapping we are watching for natural pathways that the animals use in order to incorporate those into the bridge designs." Frankie seemed knowledgeable and sincere with keeping the wildlife unaffected.

  "Thank you that really puts my mind at ease some but if the moat is used, then all access will be cut off then right?" He just nodded.

  We finished up the rest of the mapping and headed towards the house to meet with Dad to show him the plans. I knew I needed to ask Dad about building a permanent bridge for the animals. Dad always has final say in all plans before they are started. I knew that once we got to the house I would have to leave Henry and Micah to entertain Frankie and the other foreman in the ki
tchen, while I went to retrieved Dad and Ever from the depths of the lab. After informing Henry and Micah that they were going to play hosts to the team, I went down to the lab. I knocked as I entered knowing that they would both startle if I didn't give them some heads up.

  "Hey Caid, what's up?" Dad had ink all over his hands from the drawing up of what I could only assume were plans for the fence. Ever was grinning at me, so I knew they must have been productive since I last saw them. The lab was controlled chaos, Dad knew where everything was, but if anyone else needed to locate information in here, it would be a hide and seek adventure. Ever would be the closest to knowing where things were, but I think she just still only had a general idea of the vicinity of things, not a detailed knowledge like my dad.

  "Dad, the team is upstairs waiting for final approval. Henry and Micah are keeping them company, so you might want to hurry." I snickered. Dad would definitely hurry up so that Henry and Micah could be excused to return back to their other obligations. Henry and Micah both had other jobs around the property other than being our trainers. Dad had offered to pay them the master's wage, and allow them live in the guest house without the extra chores, but both guys chose to do other tasks either from interest or boredom. Henry helped with keeping the garden up to date and free of weeds, along with chopping fire wood, and hunting. Henry also had permission from Dad to use some of the wood in the forest to build and sell furniture to make side money to send to his family in the southern part of the state. We lived in northern Kentucky. Micah on the other hand did maintenance on the vehicles and farming equipment. According to Micah, he didn't have any living relatives. I asked him one time what happened to his family, but he just said they died years ago, and walked away. I didn't push for information. Micah was happy and fun to be around, but he had tight lips when it became serious or about his past. Dad said once that he thought that Micah had PTSD because of his injuries. Because Micah's actions never lead to suspicion of danger to himself or to anyone else, Dad didn't press the issue.