by Dave Bowman
Bethany looked up from the passenger side of the Forest Service truck where she was lounging with the sleeping baby. She smiled at Jessa and gave her a thumb’s up.
Trina didn’t move from where she stood with her rifle. She was on high alert at all times, eager to redeem herself for the times she had been less than alert on guard duty.
She had been a little different since Nathan’s birth. The new addition to their makeshift family, and her key role in bringing him into the world, had renewed her spirit. The baby gave her hope and a reason to go on. In fact, the newborn seemed to have that effect on everyone.
“Hey! There’s someone across the street!” she said suddenly, pointing at a clinic across the four-lane road.
Everyone looked. A man and a woman walked out of a medical building and began to cross the street.
“They’re coming over here,” Trina said. She eyed the couple anxiously.
A flurry of movement erupted around Nick as a few of them hurried to get their weapons or take cover. But Nick stayed put. He studied the couple approaching them. His face lit up in recognition.
“Is it really them?” he muttered to himself.
“Who?” Matt asked.
Liz looked more closely, then a smile broke out across her face.
“It’s Daniel and Anne!” Mia said, running out into the street to see them.
The others were close behind. They all met in the street, full of excitement and curiosity. Anne threw her arms around Mia and wrapped her in a hug.
Nick, Charlie, Liz, and Jessa embraced their friends and stared at them in amazement. It had only been a few days since they’d seen each other. But so much had happened that it felt like a lifetime. Seeing familiar faces was an elixir for them all.
“What are you doing out here?” Nick asked them. “I thought you two would have been in White Pine Falls by now.”
Nick's eyes fell on Daniel’s shoulder. “Looks like you’ve run into trouble.”
Daniel looked at Charlie’s injury, which was very similar to his own. The two of them burst into laughter as they realized they had almost identical dressings on the same shoulder.
“It’s a long story,” Anne said, smiling. “And we could say the same for you all.”
“My mom got sick, and we had to quarantine ourselves for a few days,” Daniel said.
“Are you better now?” Mia asked.
Anne nodded. “Yeah, I guess it was just the flu. We had to make sure it wasn’t the Hosta virus, so we separated from the rest of the group going to White Pine Falls.”
“And then we ran into some trouble. We came here to get antibiotics for my shoulder injury,” Daniel began. Then he looked around. “But where are my manners? Come inside. We can sit and talk in the clinic.”
They followed them into the community medical center. After introducing Anne and Daniel to Bethany, Matt, and Trina, everyone took a seat in the lobby. They exchanged stories of everything they had been through the past few days.
Mia collected a saliva sample from Anne and tested it. The girl smiled as she told Anne she was free of the Hosta virus. Anne was relieved to hear she hadn't contracted the virus, and that there was no risk in contaminating anyone from her village.
“What a clever little girl,” Anne said as she watched Mia put away her supplies.
“Mia's the best,” Liz said proudly.
“She's amazing,” Bethany said. “I don't even want to think about what would have happened in Garrison's cabin if Mia hadn't been there.”
Mia smiled shyly and returned to her place between Anne and Liz. Nick winked at her, remembering the terrified little girl he had first seen after Liz rescued her in Albuquerque. She had come a long way since then. Mia had found a place with people who could appreciate her talent and give her the love she needed. He knew that there would be no stopping her.
Just like there would be no stopping Matt. His nephew seemed less and less like an unsure child every day. Nick was already proud of the man Matt would become.
They had all come a long way. The trials they had been through had challenged and changed them.
“I'm just glad you all made it back to New Mexico,” Anne said. “We may have lost our homes in the fire, but at least we have our health. Although, I’m afraid I’ll always be worried any time someone gets a cold now.”
“And I’ll be worried every time I hear a car drive up,” Charlie said.
Jessa nodded. “We’ve all been through hell. It’s going to be a while before we can let our guard down.”
Anne smiled. “Having a home and a community might help you relax. The offer to come to White Pine Falls still stands, you know. For all of you. We need good people who can work.”
Nick looked at the weary faces of his friends and nephew. They could all use some refuge.
“We appreciate your offer,” he said. “And we’d be honored to join you there.”
“Definitely,” Charlie said. “We don’t have much of a place left to go at this point.”
“I just worry about food this winter,” Nick said, shaking his head in regret. “I don’t want to be a burden on your people. We had plenty of supplies, but we lost a lot in the fire. If only I’d gotten us out of the lodge sooner.”
“Nick, it’s not your fault,” Jessa said, her brow furrowing. “If anyone’s to blame, it would be me.”
“And let's not forget the marauding teenagers who stole what didn't get burned up,” Charlie added.
Anne stood up, putting an end to their discussion. “Follow me.”
She led them down the hall to an examination room. She opened the door and stepped aside for them to get a look.
Liz’s mouth fell open in surprise. “What the. . .?”
The room was packed with boxes of food, stacked high in rows against the wall. It was enough to feed several people for weeks.
“Wow,” Jessa said, stepping inside the room. “Where did you get all this?”
“Found a house stocked full of food just a few blocks from here,” Daniel said.
“They must have been survivalists,” Anne said. “Unfortunately they weren’t immune to the virus, though. We got the food out, drove it over, and brought it inside. We wanted it in here with us while we rested. You can’t leave anything important out in plain sight with everyone searching for food.”
“Yeah, we’re actually glad you’re here because you can help us haul it out of here,” Daniel said, laughing.
“How about this: whatever we can’t fit in our truck is yours to keep?” Anne said.
Nick shook his head. “We can’t take the food you found,” he said.
“Nonsense. You can and you will,” Anne said matter-of-factly. “I don’t want any of your refusals, Nick. Now, this won’t be enough for the whole winter, but we’ll have to keep looking for more once we get to White Pine Falls.”
“Yeah, we were thinking of making some trips to the neighboring areas to scout out more food,” Daniel said.
“We could definitely help you with that,” Charlie said.
“We just need to find enough until the gardens come in,” Anne said. “I’m sure my family is already working on the gardens now.”
“Are there houses already there?” Matt asked. “Did people live in White Pine Falls before? Are we moving into their houses after they – they died?”
Anne looked horrified. “No, I’d never do that. We may have to take food out of dead people’s houses but I’d never live in their empty homes.”
Daniel laughed. “You have to understand one thing. My mom believes in ghosts.”
Anne rolled her eyes at her son, then turned to Matt to answer his question.
“White Pine Falls is a Forest Service campground. There are dozens of campsites with big, old log cabins scattered around. There should be enough cabins for everyone. The eight of you can share one, if that’s acceptable?”
“That’s more than acceptable,” Jessa said. “It’s a miracle. We thought we might have to bui
ld something before winter.”
Liz nodded in agreement. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’re so grateful to you both.”
“Yeah. It’ll be so nice to have a home again. Especially with this little one,” Bethany said, smiling at the sleeping baby in her arms. She looked up at Anne's open, kind face. “Thank you.”
Nick felt an enormous weight being lifted off his shoulders. They had a house to live in, and enough food to last a long while. Maybe things would work out after all.
“I just ask for one thing in return,” Anne said.
“Anything you want,” Nick said.
“You’re a carpenter, right Nick?”
“Yep. Well, used to be one, anyway.”
“I’ve always wanted a long table where I could work on my seedlings and dried herbs without having to bend over so much,” Anne said. “With shelves and room for all my supplies. I’m afraid my husband isn’t very handy at building things, and I’m even worse.”
Nick smiled. “I can build you a work station that would make Martha Stewart jealous.”
Anne let out a hearty laugh. “Perfect.”
Anne turned to Bethany, who looked like she was fighting sleep. “You want a break?”
Bethany nodded. “I just fed him. Maybe I could take a nap in the back?”
Anne took Nathan gently in her arms and gazed at the peaceful expression on the baby’s face.
“Sure, go rest,” Anne said. “I’ll take good care of this little one.”
While Bethany napped, the others loaded the food in the trucks. By the time everything was ready to go, the sun was getting lower in the sky. Anne woke Bethany, and the group set out toward their new home.
Nick followed Daniel’s truck in his Ford. They passed through the diverse terrain of northern New Mexico. Low, dry valleys climbed into cooler, mountainous areas. The clean smell of pine and sage scented the air.
As they approached their new home, they passed through mixed, rich forest and crossed a clear, running stream. It reminded Nick of his grandfather’s land, where the lodge had been. It felt familiar, but new at the same time.
It was twilight as they pulled into White Pine Falls. Driving into the campground area, they saw all the vehicles and trailers brought by the Watlah tribe and parked to the side. Once they passed the vehicles, Nick looked at the area with surprise. The people had been hard at work.
Everywhere he looked, the land was being transformed. While Anne and Daniel had been in quarantine, their family and friends had cleared crucial sections of forest for grazing land for the livestock and gardens. They had brought a tractor out to the campground and had used it to prepare patches of land for gardens. In one area that had been cleared of trees, goats were grazing on the underbrush. A large, grassy meadow had been fenced in, and a few cows grazed there. The felled trees were stacked to the side. Some of them were being processed for building materials and firewood.
In just a few days, the people had transformed the area into what was sure to become a thriving community. Of course, there was still a lot of work to be done. Nick knew barns and sheds would need to be built, gardens planted, and water systems installed. But with so many people organized and working as a team, they would make progress quickly.
They parked the vehicles and got out. Daniel’s father and siblings came running when they saw Daniel's truck. The family embraced joyfully. Anne was in tears as she hugged each of her children and her husband.
Daniel’s father, Raymond, looked up and smiled at Nick and the others. He shook Nick’s hand and slapped him on the back playfully.
“It’s about time you showed up,” he said, smiling.
Nick grinned. “We had a bit of a detour.”
“We’re happy to have you,” Raymond said. He looked at the others. “I’m sure you’re pretty spent from your journey. We’ve got a cabin we’ve been saving for you all.”
Nick looked at the happy, but tired, faces of his friends. These were the people who had been through so much with him, who had defended him, whom he had defended. They had worked hard to stand at this place united and hopeful for a new life. They were survivors; they were a family.
“Welcome home,” Nick said.
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About the Author
Dave Bowman is a writer and native Texan. When he's not writing about the end of the world as we know it, he can be found planning for his future homestead or haunting his favorite barbecue joint.
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