“I’m having trouble accepting that I’m not dead. I thought for sure that I was,” Sky said. “My mother always told me that I had a guardian angel. I guess it must be true. And with all the bad people out there now, you good people found me. I must have a guardian angel. I’m sorry, but I’m a bit foggy and will probably forget all your names. Forgive me if I have to ask again.”
Sky had felt that her eyes wanted to water with emotion, but she was still too dehydrated for the tears to form.
“Don’t worry about it,” Amanda said.
“I bet you have a story to tell,” Maryanne said. “I’m a little busy with camp stuff right now. Sit where you like, and be sure to drink lots of water and get to know everybody. Dinner will be in a couple of hours. I don’t want you eating anything any sooner than that because it’s likely that you’ll toss it right back up. We’ll all be together at dinner, and we’ll hear what you have to say.”
“I just can’t thank you enough,” Sky said, and now her voice sounded less raspy.
Sky reached for the glass and easily finished off the remaining water.
Fortunately, because she had tucked herself into the hole she had made in the mountain, she had no sunburn issues. Amanda could see that the woman had naturally dark skin, and it appeared that she had at least some Native American heritage, judging by her skin tone and facial features. She had high cheekbones, a narrow face, brown eyes that spoke of intelligence and kindness, and a small, framed body. Though Amanda was petite, this woman was smaller, frailer-looking. The wrinkles in her skin told of age, both in her face, neck, and hands. But what was most striking about her was her very long, silvery gray hair.
Amanda caught herself staring at the woman and quickly looked away, not wanting to be rude. But when she looked away, she thought that might seem rude, so she looked back again to see that the woman had made it to her feet.
“If you want, I’ll show you around,” Amanda said, moving closer to her.
“And you are Amanda, right?” Sky said, and now that she was on her feet, Amanda could see that the woman was a good two or three inches shorter than her.
“Yes, that’s right. Do you feel up to a tour of the camp, or would you rather stay put for a while? It’s not like there’s all that much to see,” Amanda said.
“I’d love the tour, thank you,” Sky said, before smiling. Her teeth looked startlingly white in comparison to her naturally dark skin.
“I thought you were going to help me clean the fridge,” Sam said, sounding disgruntled.
“Don’t be rude, dear, I’m too tired to deal with it,” Maryanne said. “Besides, it’s a small fridge, you have the cleaners, just get it done.”
“Fine,” Sam said and then issued a groan.
“And who might that sassy young lady be?” Sky asked, and Amanda saw a twinkle to the woman’s eyes when she said it.
“That’s Sam, one of our resident teens,” Amanda said. “We have two of them, but the other one’s more agreeable.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Sam. “I’m agreeable. I think so, anyway.”
Amanda didn’t bother to answer and merely shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, “See what I mean.”
“Children,” Sky said with a sigh, “I never had any, but sometimes, I’ve regretted that decision.”
“Sam’s a very talented young lady, she’s just sassy, like you said. But she’s a real survivor, and I’d let her watch my back any day,” Amanda said, feeling that the girl deserved at least that.
“Thanks,” Sam said, walking up to them with a bottle of cleaner in one hand and a rag in the other. “I’ll clean the fridge. I thought I should at least protest a little, you know, or else someone might think I’m sick or something.”
“Nice to meet you, Sam, I’m Sky,” the woman said, and the twinkle had not left her eyes.
“Cool name,” said Sam.
It occurred to Amanda that though the woman was small and frail-looking, she probably had her fair share of spunk as well. After all, she had survived the initial outbreak. She eyed Sky, as the woman interacted with Sam. There is something very mysterious about her, she decided.
“Are you ready?” Sky asked of Amanda.
“Oh, sure, yeah,” Amanda said, and the two women went off together, beginning with where Roy was working.
Chapter 66
Cody was nearly finished with scrubbing his body. He had had dirt caked onto his skin, nearly everywhere. It had taken soap and a lot of scrubbing before his father had given him the okay to stop. Now his fair skin looked pink and delicate. The dirt had been acting as a sun block. He would have to be more careful now to not get sun burned.
Cole handed him the other pair of coveralls, which were way too big for the boy. He obediently shimmied into them, and then Cole helped to roll up the pant legs, while Cody worked on rolling up the sleeves so that his hands would be usable.
Cody had never been one to care much about fashion, and he wore the new, much cleaner clothes with confidence.
His father scowled as he peered into the brown soapy water in the bucket. They had brought down two half full buckets of water: one for bathing and washing his clothes, and the other for rinsing the clothes. Cole shrugged. They would have to use the brown water to wash the boy’s clothes. Both his son and Maryanne had been working for hours at preparing water for them, but still it had been being used up fast. This would have to do. At least, he considered, the clothes will be cleaner than they are now, and that’s what mattered.
At times, Cole felt bothered when a job could not be done well the first time. But the circumstances that the infection had forced them to live under had been straining the boundaries of his beliefs. He had come to realize that sometimes, if a job could be done at all, then that was a good thing. This was one of those times, and so he opted to let it go.
He could hear voices traveling as a couple of people were coming down the hill. He recognized Amanda’s voice and figured that the other must belong to their newest member. In just a matter of days, this little camp had grown by three. He wondered how well everybody would adjust to the change and then figured that if anybody was having trouble adjusting, it was himself. But he would work to fit in, because in his mind, he had delivered his son to the right kind of people. And now it was just a matter of keeping all those people alive.
Cole looked down to see that Cody was swooshing his dirty clothes around in the wash bucket, without being instructed to do so. He suddenly wished again that he had spent more time with his son before the infection had changed everything. He took a deep breath, as he remembered all the times that he had telephoned home to say that he had picked up some overtime. At the time, money had seemed important. He had wanted to save up and be able to leave the house that they had been renting and buy a place of their own.
Now, all the money was lost, to some bank that would be no more—at least, he figured, not in his lifetime. And when and if the banks did start up again, all that had been before would be gone. People would start over fresh, tabula rasa, a blank slate. To Cole, all those hours had been lost, and they would have been better spent on his son.
He had hired an elderly lady from down their street to sit with Cody and to make sure that there was an adult around while he was gone. The woman had, like most people, got along well with his son, and she had appreciated the extra cash because of her fixed income. But now, it seemed that it had not been worth it. He had missed so much and at times had gone an entire day or two without seeing the boy awake, only able to check on him in his sleep.
In the LBZ, the world had revolved around money. But now, things had changed, and the only things that mattered were the good people in your life and staying alive. Cody did not possess any natural survival skills, as he perceived it.
In school, his son had been recognized as brilliant right away. After testing, it had been determined that the boy was operating at a high genius level. That, combined with the boy’s natural ability to win
people over, had almost assuredly meant that he would be set for life. But now, Cole sighed, things had changed, and he worried about his son more than anything else in the world.
In the raider camp, Cole had watched his every step, careful to not infuriate them and get him and his son killed. Cody had, as usual, made himself useful. But he had been denied the time to have much interaction with his boy, and that had worried him. He worried that Cody would say or do the wrong thing. Cody had known better than to tell them that his father had been a police officer in the time before. And that had been a blessing. On second thought, he does have some natural instincts when it comes to people, Cole considered.
The voices had stopped drawing near, and Cole figured them to be coming from The Pit. That reminded him that there was work to be done. Not only did he have to map out the garden area and get that ready to plant as soon as possible, but he wanted to make sure that some sort of bathroom facilities could be worked out because as it was now, going to relieve oneself was a tedious chore that offered minimal privacy should someone wander up.
And then, there was the matter of security measures that they still needed to work out. He hoped to have some time this evening to discuss precautions and outline a plan, should they come under attack, by either the creepers or the raiders. After looking over the supplies, he had come up with a few ideas that he would like to be able to share with the group.
“Hey, Cody,” Cole said, “are you interested in helping me get the garden ready?”
Cole was eager to have this time to spend with his son, and he was determined to cherish it, like he had not done before.
“Nah, Dad, that’s okay, I need to help with the water, and then there’s dinner and dishes. I have an official job, with a title and everything. I have to go to work. Maybe we can do something some other time?”
Cole sighed and reached to grab one of the buckets to dump. They would be able to carry up ten more gallons of water. It seemed to Cole, like the tables had been turned, and now it was Cody that would be putting in the overtime, leaving him alone.
“This is where we park the vehicles,” Amanda said, having led Sky down to the flat section where Cole and Cody were.
“You must be Cole, and that’s your son, Cody. Amanda’s already told me a lot about you two,” Sky said. “I want to thank you properly for bringing me in to your camp.”
Sky extended her petite hand toward Cole, who was careful to grasp it gently while he looked her up and down, using his long years of training to try to make an assessment of her.
“Don’t thank me, Cody and I are almost as new to this camp as you are. They’re the ones that had it all set up out here. A safe haven in a world gone insane, is what I think,” Cole said, before offering the woman a smile, having decided that she was not a threat to them.
It would be difficult, he considered, for anyone to view this woman as a threat, but he supposed that stranger things were possible but doubtful.
“Amanda pointed out where you intend to put the garden,” Sky asked, and Amanda realized that the woman’s voice, now that it had been hydrated, had a melodious tone to it.
“Yes, ma’am, that’s right,” Cole said, perking up a little, realizing that he might have some help with it, judging by her interest.
“I’m really better with plants than I am with people,” Sky said. “I’ve spent many months now on my own, solitary. Some time working on the garden would be wonderful for my soul.”
“I’ll carry up the rest of the garden supplies,” Cole said. “Feel free to get started whenever you’re feeling up to it, because I really have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to growing things. That was never a hobby of mine,” Cole said, realizing that he had accidentally killed the last five or so houseplants that people had given him over the past few years.
“I’m really feeling much better now, and getting my fingers dirty will be wonderful,” Sky said, and it appeared that she was beaming at the prospect of the task.
Cole decided that it would be impossible to perceive this woman as any type of a threat to their little community. She appeared to be very good-natured and seemed to carry a gentle, quiet spirit.
“I don’t suppose that you also know how to fight or shoot a gun, a bow, or anything like that?” Cole asked, thinking that if she could also help them to defend themselves, then she had just become an ideal new member.
“Oh my, no, I’ve never had need of anything like that,” Sky said. “I wouldn’t know anything about firing a gun, and I’ve only killed two of those creeper things, and that was with a shovel and only because I had too.”
“Happy to have you,” Cole said, suddenly feeling deflated because though they had someone to work in the garden, she was an additional member that would require their protection. “Would you be willing to learn?”
“I suppose, if it’s necessary, but I don’t think I would have much skill with anything like that,” Sky said, suddenly looking worried that she may not be such a welcome addition after all without any fighting skills.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll make sure that you receive some basic fighting and shooting skills. But you will be greatly received with your work in our prospective garden. There does not seem to be one of us that has much experience in that area,” Amanda said, trying to be sure to assuage any fears that the woman might have been experiencing because of Cole’s abrupt way of putting things.
Cole was certainly given to confrontation, Amanda considered. But she did realize that this was a skill that would undoubtedly be very useful in today’s society and useful to them when they needed to venture out again.
Amanda escorted Sky back up to the camp, being sure to point out the spot where she and Sam both liked to come at times in order to have some private time with their thoughts. Sky had made a point of saying that she had been used to having time alone and the hustle and bustle of camp could grate the nerves without the ability to safely spend some meditative time of reflection.
On the way back up, Amanda was curious about how it was that Sky had survived this long on her own. With her gentle disposition, no fighting skills, and no one to protect her from the raiders and the creepers, it seemed impossible that the woman could have lived through all this. Maryanne had said that we would save her story for this evening while everyone was collected for dinner. She felt that she couldn’t wait to hear what Sky had to say about how she had been living. The other curious thing was how she had come to be in the adjoining canyon.
Once back up top, Amanda realized again how hungry she felt. But it felt wrong to bother her friend by asking her when it would be time for dinner. Her injured arm was itching, and she unconsciously reached to scratch at it.
“Don’t do that, you’ll dislodge the dressing,” Maryanne said, having noticed. “Why on earth would you want to scratch at it? Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Hurt, no,” Amanda said, removing her fingers from the gauze. She had not even realized that she had so automatically reached to scratch at it. “It itches,” Amanda said.
“That can’t be right,” claimed Maryanne, moving to come over to her. “I want to take a look at it.”
“I want to see it too,” Cody said. “I was the one that put the dressing on it last time.”
“Yes, Cody,” Maryanne answered, but she sounded weary.
Sky had wandered off to meet Cole at their new garden sight, where he had come up and off-loaded some of their supplies. He had several more trips to make and was looking forward to doing it on his own. Ideally, he wanted to do something with his son, but that wasn’t happening, so he was feeling like Sky, in that he wanted some solitude.
“I have the fridge running,” Roy announced, standing up to stretch his back.
Everyone, except Jason, dropped whatever they were doing to come over and see it.
“I cleaned it,” Sam said, as if she was expecting accolades from the group.
The little refrigerator’s motor hummed. Roy had set it upon a scrap
piece of plywood in an area underneath one of the tarps, and it looked out of place in this environment.
“Right now, it’s running off of the batteries while the solar panels are collecting the sunlight that will recharge them,” said Roy, and it was obvious that he was very pleased with his work.
“I can’t believe it,” Maryanne said. “Now we can store food so that it doesn’t spoil in this heat.”
“We can cool the beer,” Roy said with a smile.
“We can have cold water,” Cody said.
“Cold soda,” said Sam. “Can I put one of the sodas that I found in there?”
“Does this mean that we will have a house again soon?” Tammy asked. “We had a big one in our house, and Momma used to use it to make ice pops. Can we have ice pops again?”
“Come here, sweetheart,” Jason said. “Come sit with me, and I will answer all your questions.”
Maryanne felt compelled to go and open it, wanting to feel that it really was working to cool down.
“You won’t want to leave it open. As it is, it’ll be hours before its cool enough to be effective,” Roy said.
“Sorry, but I just had to,” Maryanne said, quickly slamming the door and making sure that it was sealed tight.
“Why don’t we wait an hour or so to put anything in it? The more that we pack into it now, the longer it will be before it cools down, especially in this heat,” Roy said.
Amanda’s headache had become worse; she didn’t feel like joining in on the festivities, and she slipped away to get a glass of water and then to go and rest on her mat. She was not only suffering from a severe headache, but she was feeling week again too, and her stomach would not stop protesting at not having any food for a few hours.
Sky had not bothered to come over. She had simply stood up to look and then went back to work on the garden preparations. Amanda presumed that even though the woman was friendly and a good conversationalist, she would prefer to stay away from everyone at this time, and perhaps, that would be true for most times.
Amanda Carter in the L.A.Z., life after zombies Page 46
