by Tom Larcombe
I really ought to ask what that's all about, but I need to get to Father Anderson as soon as I can. I've got way too much to do to just stand around and make small talk.
* * *
There was a line of people extending from the door of the recreation center to the rear of the church when Michael arrived. He went back that way, expecting Father Anderson to be in the kitchen. There were a couple of complaints when he tried to slide through the door, until the people complaining were informed, by others in line, that Michael was one of the people still donating food to the church. That silenced the complaints in a hurry.
Father Anderson wasn't in the kitchen, he was helping serve from a long folding table set with a limited assortment of food stuff. There were eggs and a variety of vegetables available from what Michael saw.
When he caught Father Anderson's eye and gestured to him, the Father found someone to take his place and came over.
“Can we go somewhere a little quieter?” Michael asked. “I've got some news for you, but I'd rather no-one overheard.”
Father Anderson nodded and led Michael out the back door of the recreational center. The one on the opposite side from the line. When the door closed behind them, it was much quieter.
“What can I do for you Michael?”
“I've got a lot more supplies for you if you want them, but I'm afraid you'll have to hide their origin,” Michael said.
“What? Why?”
“Rynn and I discovered an old cache in the mine. It dates back to just after World War II and it includes a large quantity of rations from that time period.”
Father Anderson looked dismayed.
“I'm sorry Michael, but I'm pretty sure that food would be too old to use. I wouldn't want to risk anyone getting sick from it.”
“Oh no, the cache was protected. From what I've been told it was laid down by a powerful wizard. One who had the ability to protect items from the passage of time. Everything appears just the way it was when it was put into the cache. I'll be happy to try some of the food to be sure it doesn't make me sick, but I think you'll find that it's just as good as it was when it was made. Not that that's saying a lot, it's all army rations, but it beats nothing and might let you feed a few more people.”
The dismayed look on the Father's face turned to one of incredulity.
“Are you serious? Are there really wizards that powerful still around? I know that you and I had discussed the matter a little, but I always thought that there were few, if any, wizards of that power.”
“You'd be right on the few part. This particular one is also rather... old. If I mentioned his name you'd recognize it, but you might also think I'd gone mad.”
Michael saw the question trying to force its way past Father Anderson's lips.
“Please don't ask me Father, I don't have the time to explain. Do you want the food? I also have a bunch of other items that you could probably distribute. Hygiene items, basic tools, some military uniforms from the same time period, that type of thing. Nothing fancy, but all of it's military issue and should be pretty durable.”
The offer of the other items seemed to drive the question right out of Father Anderson's mind.
“Do I want them? Do you realize how much good those items will do? I told you before that I thought He might have sent you here to help, but now I'm starting to wonder if I'm the one here to help you. Do you have any idea how many lives you've saved already with the food you've donated? The gardening classes you're giving and the free seeds that you give out at them? Not to mention the little folk and what they've been doing.”
Michael grimaced inwardly.
“No Father, I'm helping you. I don't know the people here well enough for them to trust me and not ask questions. But they know you, and they trust you. So you can give them the help that they might not accept from me.”
Father Anderson shook his head.
“However you want to look at it Michael. Yes, I want the food if it isn't spoiled. I'd be happy to test it myself if you'd rather not risk it. The clothing and tools will be a Godsend as well. I'm sure I can find a use for any of those materials you want to bring here.”
I'm pretty sure you might be stymied by what to do with a case of grenades, Michael thought.
“What was that?” Father Anderson asked.
“I didn't say anything, I was just thinking.”
“I thought you said something about me being stymied.”
“Father, are you sure your only talent is calming people? I was thinking about how you might be stymied to find a use for some of the things in the cache.”
Father Anderson blinked, then looked thoughtful for a moment.
“I never really explored my abilities, just used them in a way that seemed natural. Are you suggesting that I might be able to read minds?”
“It's possible, I've heard of people with that talent.”
“I don't quite know what to think of that. I don't think it's a talent I'd want to have,” Father Anderson said.
“We can discuss this later. I need to get home. The sheriff is stopping by later to see about some of the other items that were in the cache.”
“Ah, weapons? These are the things you think would stymie me? I used to be a mean shot with a hunting rifle.”
“There are rifles, but I was thinking you might not know what to do with a case of hand grenades.”
Father Anderson's face paled.
“Better you than me,” he said. “You were thinking true thoughts.”
“I'm going to give them to Dan. He can distribute them to the defense force we're forming. Some of the veterans on it should be familiar with them, at least in general.”
“Don't let me keep you. When do you think you can bring the food and other materials down?”
“If I do it with my Jeep, it'll take several loads. I might ask my dad if he'd drive them down to you. I bet the two of you would get along and it would only be a couple of loads for his pickup truck.”
“I'll be happy to see him, but if you really don't want people to know what it is, you might need to change the packaging first if it's still in the original.”
“Good point. Can I borrow a box of garbage bags? We'll take them out of the wooden crates and move them into the bags. Then he can drop those off down here. If you're doing the prep work you just need to make sure no-one else sees the containers.”
“We have plenty of garbage bags, follow me.”
He continued to speak as they walked.
“I won't be able to not tell anyone. That quantity of food will need more than just me prepare it, but a few of my helpers are some of the oddballs around town, the ones with small talents or skills that I told you about before. I might be able to get them to help without them thinking I'm crazy when I explain where it came from.”
“You'd know best Father, just... try not to use my name, would you?”
“I still don't understand why you don't want people to know you're helping them, but I'll accede to your wishes.”
* * *
When Michael got back to the house it was well after noon. Rynn was still in her room, but Anne had left some of the soup she'd made on the stove. It was still warmer than room temperature, so Michael just dished it out and sat down to eat.
That's not half bad, although the color makes me think of that old Avocado green they used to make appliances in.
Before he was done eating he heard Rynn's door close. He listened to her come down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Feel better now?” Michael asked.
She rubbed her eyes.
“I will once I'm all the way awake. I'm starved, what do you have there?”
“Radish top soup. There's some more on the stove.”
She shook her head.
“I need meat. Where's that jerky I brought with me? I'll have some of that along with a bowl of soup.”
“In the pantry, all the way back, on the right.”
Rynn rummaged through t
he pantry and pulled out an opened bag of the jerky.
“Sorry to steal this back, but I really need the meat after what happened. Whenever I strain myself I need to eat meat.”
She idly scratched back of her neck. When she noticed what she was doing, she stopped.
“Crap!” she said, baring her teeth. “I may need to do something else also. Hopefully I can put that off for a few days though.”
Michael was dying to ask, but he'd recognized the scratching. It was one of Rynn's habits that always seemed to show when she was stressed and was associated with whatever it was she couldn't tell him yet.
“There's still some of the venison. Should we have it for dinner?” he asked.
“It isn't as fresh as I'd like now, but it might do. Maybe we could go get some fresh fish?” she asked hopefully.
“You're welcome to try your hand at that. You could take the kids if you want. I need to stay here though. I'm meeting Dan this afternoon and I have to repackage some stuff for Father Anderson. As a matter of fact, I'll probably draft any of the kids that don't go fishing to help me with that.”
“You're trying to do too much again Michael. I'll stay here and the kids and I will help. What do you need to repackage?”
Michael explained about not wanting people to realize they were getting fresh World War II rations and how he planned on putting all the food stuff into the garbage bags he'd borrowed from Father Anderson.
“The rest of it can just go as is,” he said. “If people think it's extraordinarily well preserved, let them, but the rations would definitely have gone bad by now, so we have to conceal their origins.”
“All this trouble to help a bunch of people you don't even know?” Rynn said.
“It isn't that I don't know them, it's that I don't know them well. Maybe now I'll be allowed to get to know them better, if the damned Council will stop trying to kill me.”
* * *
* * *
Chapter 10
Rynn smiled inwardly.
I'm glad he's angry with them. He has every right to be furious and it's good to know he's still got a backbone.
“I think you need a little time off Michael,” she said.
“I don't have enough time to take time off.”
“Let's start bagging this stuff now. I'll go down and see if any of the kids are here to help. We can start on it now and get it done sooner. Maybe you can take some time to just sit back and do nothing tonight.”
Michael sighed heavily.
“You're going to keep harping on that until I give in, aren't you?”
“You'd better believe it. We can't have you burning out when there are raiders on their way. I'd prefer it if you didn't burn out at all. You have no idea how happy the kids and I were when we got here. Things here aren't normal, but it's so much closer to it here than anywhere else we saw that...”
She shook her head.
“Let's just say I'd like things to stay the way they are here, not get like the other places I saw. Besides, in case you'd forgotten, I'm rather fond of you and would prefer to not have to watch you crack up.”
“I'm not even close to cracking up,” Michael said.
“And I'd prefer that you stay that way. But if you feel so strongly about time off, how about just you and I go fishing tonight, after dark. We'll get the kids settled in and leave your father, Bobby, and Anne to watch them. Then you and I will go down and fish in the lake. I get fresh fish, you get to relax some, everybody wins.”
I'd like to have some time alone with him, she thought, and with the crowd staying in the house, this might be one of the few ways we can do that and not be interrupted. Plus it might be the only time I'd be comfortable doing it anytime soon.
“It's a date,” he said.
Rynn looked at him quizzically for a moment.
“I suppose it is, or at least it could be,” she said.
Michael smiled and nodded.
“Sorry it can't be dinner and a movie, or something fancier.”
“The way I'm feeling right now, I'm happier going fishing. Like I said, I could use some fresh meat. But fresh fish helps too.”
And it should be dark enough that he won't see me eating them whole if I'm craving them as much as I fear I will be, she thought with a mental grimace.
“Well then, we'll get you some tonight. It'll have to be live bait though, might not be enough light to use fishing lures.”
She nodded.
“I'll go see if I can find the kids and we can start repackaging this stuff.”
* * *
Randall and Sean were more than happy to help. They made a game of it and were having a grand old time. Andi and Eugene started repacking together. When Cindy saw that she rolled her eyes at Rynn, but settled in to do some of it herself as well. Jeff and Liz weren't home to help, they'd gone someplace with Bobby and Anne.
The packing was going well enough that when Dan showed up with four men in tow, Michael and Rynn felt confident leaving the kids to finish repacking.
“Miss Rynn,” Dan said, tipping his hat. “Michael.”
They followed him outside where he introduced the four men with him.
“I think you know Bill here,” Dan said, “these others are Jake, Luke, and Matt.”
“Nice to meet you,” Michael said.
Rynn stayed silent but nodded. Despite the difference in age she was pretty sure that Luke was checking her out, undressing her with his eyes, and she didn't want to do anything to encourage that.
“This way,” Michael said. “I stored the weapons out in the mine office since I could lock it. Got a lot of children around here and I didn't want them to be able to get access.”
So that's why he put them out here, Rynn thought. I hadn't even considered that.
They went out to the mine office as a group and when he showed them the rifles, Bill whistled appreciatively.
“They'll need some cleaning, but I'm guessing these are all gonna be mint, like you thought the others were,” he said to Michael.
“Yeah, the scratches you found on the others were the clue that led us to these. So thanks again Bill.”
“No problem, you wanna thank me? Assign me one of these beauties. I promise to take good care of it, feed it often too.”
“Here's the thing I'm most worried about Dan,” Michael said.
He walked over to a case of grenades and pulled the lid off. All four of the men that had come with Dan whistled this time.
“Shit, man. You didn't say anything about grenades, Dan,” Matt said. “Well I suppose you did just say weapons, but still.”
Dan looked at Michael appraisingly.
“That might be because I didn't know about them,” he said.
Michael shrugged.
“What was I supposed to say? You said you were going to bring veterans so I thought at least some of them would have a familiarity with them.”
Dan shook his head ruefully.
“A whole case of them?” he asked.
“Actually there are two cases. The other one is over in that corner,” Michael said, pointing.
“What am I supposed to do with you Michael? You know those are against the law,” Dan said.
Michael had to increase the volume of his voice to be heard over Dan's chuckles when the sheriff couldn't keep a straight face.
“Well, I'm turning them in to local law enforcement at my earliest opportunity, aren't I?”
“What am I supposed to do with them?” Dan asked, his laughter stopping abruptly.
“Distribute them to your local defense force?”
“Which we haven't even gotten off the ground yet.”
“Store them with the rifles then until you're ready for them.”
“About that,” Dan said. “I think that maybe we ought to keep them stored up here. I don't want the townsfolk learning about them too soon. I'll have people demanding rifles and ammunition from me when we may well need all of them we've got to defend the town.”
> “Yeah, since you last got ammo from me, I've sold out of everything I was willing to sell,” Bill added.
“A run on guns?” Rynn asked.
“Like I was telling Michael,” Dan said. “There's been a fair number of deaths already. Some people that just can't take care of themselves without modern amenities, medicine and the like. Those are the ones that are just sad. The ones that really get my dander up are the couple of outlying homes where it looks like raiders came in, killed everyone, and took everything useful they could get their hands on.”
Rynn winced.
“The worst part is that I don't know if it's other people from town, or raiders from somewhere else. I've got no way to tell,” Dan said.
“You can keep them up here. Just make sure the word doesn't spread that they're here. I'll make sure there's some security on them, but you'll need to make sure no-one tries to get to them without Rynn or me present. The security we use will most likely be lethal,” Michael said.
“Really Michael?” Rynn said. “You want to set something up to kill anyone that tries to get at this stuff?”
“Think about it. If anyone is after these weapons, what do you think they'll want them for? If they know how to use them, they may be tempted to try to use them against others in town, like Dan's worried about. If they don't know how to use them, they're likely to kill themselves or someone in their families. I'd rather not be responsible for either of those possibilities. I'd much rather go overboard guarding the weapons. We're going to need all of these, in just a few days if I'm not mistaken, so...”
“I'm not objecting,” Rynn said. “It just seems out of character for you.”
“Like you said, I've grown up a bit. Like it or not I'm a lot less trusting now.”
While Rynn and Michael talked, the other men each took out a rifle. Bill took a jug of some sort of orange colored solvent out of his pack as well. They cleaned the rifles while pretending not to listen to the discussion. When they were done talking, Michael and Rynn each took one out and started cleaning as well.
