by Brad Manuel
“Don’t give us too much credit. We are just as lucky to find you. Plus, I brought you to a frozen town in New Hampshire.”
Todd shook his head. “There’s nothing near us.”
“I have an idea, I don’t know if it will work.” Avery said shyly.
“What is it?”
“My best friend’s mother was a realtor. She had detailed files on houses she listed, and I think her office kept those files. She was older, so when I say files, she had paper files. They weren’t computer files.”
“Yes.”
“Well, maybe there is a solar house or green house we could consider. When I was talking with Matt two days ago, he said he lived in a solar powered house in Charleston. What if we could find one here in Hanover, or some other town close by? I’m sure there was some environmental crazy who had solar cells and well water. I read about all of the green options in high school. They were expensive, but rich green-minded people didn’t care.”
Todd looked at her. “Avery, you are brilliant. What’s even better? If it’s a current listing, it might be empty. We won’t find bodies.”
“I didn’t think of that.” She agreed.
“This is why we have to think like a team. Everyone should voice their ideas. Don’t hold back on me again.” He mock scolded her while making his way towards the door. “There’s a real estate office right across the street. Actually there are two or three.” Todd stopped. “Before we try our next idea, you said you wanted to check out some other stores. Do you want to do that first?”
“I know there is a library, but can we find a bookstore? I want to pick up books for Meredith. I know Bernie is also struggling to find things for the kids to read or be read to.”
“And maybe get a few books for yourself?” Todd smiled.
“I admit I have selfish motives. “
“We walked right passed a bookstore while we were talking. It’s three stores back. Why don’t we grab some books, use a basket or something to bring them with us, and we can cross the street to the real estate offices.”
They walked back to the bookstore and picked out books for everyone on their list. “There’s a library right down the road, and it has a fireplace. We will start school down there this week. I know Emily wants to get Brian and Jay back in the groove of school a few days a week.”
“Meredith isn’t going to like that idea, but it works for me.” Avery held two plastic shopping baskets. “I don’t need to learn Calculus, but I’d like to study solar energy, and maybe some house building and repair.”
“I know my nephew, Matt, has been studying farming for the last five months. He is in the same boat as you, doesn’t need to learn how to read and write, he needs practical skills. My sons need to learn how to read, write, and use math.”
Todd held up his two baskets. “Let’s take these with us. Leave them by the door at the real estate offices. My mother always told me, don’t backtrack if you don’t have to.”
Avery followed Todd across the street to an office with house pictures taped to the windows. Todd tried the door. It was open. The bolt was broken and the wooden frame was splintered.
“If I had to guess, I would say someone tried this idea already.” Todd said. “The office is not ransacked, but the files have been searched.”
“Do you think this was our group?” Avery asked, looking around at stacks of papers neatly placed around the file cabinets.
“I do. They had the same idea as you, and went down this road already. It was a great idea, Avery, keep them coming.” He leaned over and picked up his basket of books. “Looks like our mission is going to be shorter and less successful than we thought. We didn’t find a water tower, and we didn’t find an alternative source for water.” He opened the door for Avery. “We did figure out one thing, though.”
“What?” She asked as she walked passed him.
“We need to have a group meeting to set up daily chores, brainstorm about solutions to any problems we have found, and find out what has been tried already.” He followed her out the door, letting it shut behind him.
“What was it like in Raleigh? The news reports were so strange.” Avery asked.
“Raleigh?” He replied. It felt like he left the town a year ago. “How do you mean?”
“I don’t know, the government was focused on your town for a few weeks, before the nationwide outbreaks. You were all people talked about. After the first deaths, and the mass exodus, no one had a way to get reports out of Raleigh. You were this black hole in the country. Reporters were not allowed in and did not want to risk getting the illness. You were a word and an arrow on a map. They ran footage of the traffic jams getting out of town over and over again.”
“I was too worried on finding food and staying under the radar from the guys in yellow Hazmat suits to watch much television. I was lucky in more ways than one. Jay had the actual flu that week. He had a temperature, was flat on his back, so we didn’t even try to leave town. We wouldn’t have made it through the first check point. I lived in a nice neighborhood. Everyone bugged out, more or less. Some of people in my neighborhood died quickly, but most of the houses in my subdivision were empty after the first week. I had access to food that was left behind. There was no looting. Everything happened too fast and people left so early. The black hole on the map was just that, a void of activity. Once the government pulled out to try and contain the disease, Emily and I were alone.”
“You had food, water, electricity?”
“We did, for the most part. The electricity went off in late September, but I had propane tanks to use on the grill. I had a generator to heat the house if I needed it. We had chickens and goats that we rounded up from farms. As I said, the level of despair and loss that you endured? Emily and I had our issues, but they did not compare to what everyone else in the country went through.”
They were on the corner of Wheelock and Main Street when they heard a person yell, “Uncle Todd!” Avery and Todd looked left and saw Craig waving to them with his left hand. His right held a chain creel with 5 large trout. A group of people walked behind the boy, Hank, Antonio, Ahmed, and Rebecca.
“Hello!” Todd and Avery yelled and waved back. They held up their baskets full of books. “Need any help?”
“We have it.” Antonio yelled back. “They want to carry the fish and take credit for our catches. No way.” He smiled to the rest of the group.
Avery and Todd crossed Main Street and waited for the fishing group at the corner. When Craig reached his Uncle he held the chain up to show him the big rainbows. Avery stepped back, not happy about fish dangling near her face. “Um, they’re nice.”
“Did you not get to see fish on the upper west side, Avery?” Antonio laughed.
“I’m starting to get used to the new ways, Tony. Give me some time. I milked a goat this morning. I may be grossed out by fish, but I milked a goat.”
“You milked the goat this morning?” Todd asked her. “And you didn’t brag about it until now?”
“I know, right? I mean, that’s pretty cool.”
“You’re cool, Avery, you know it. I’m just messing with you. You should come out fishing with us tomorrow or the next time we go. Craig will clean your fish. You just need to catch them.” Antonio gave her a pat on the back.
“I’ll clean your fish, I will.” Craig agreed. “I don’t mind.” He was overly excited. He loved to fish, and he had a new friend in Antonio.
Rebecca was quietly pulling up the rear. Avery waited to walk with her. “Rebecca, hi, I’m Avery.”
“I know. We met last night.” There was an awkward silence between the two. Rebecca was not intimidated by Avery, but she was not used to being friends with a girl like her, tall, pretty, most likely popular. Months after society’s collapse, Rebecca found it difficult to deviate from social paradigms.
Despite her old tendency to ignore ‘pretty people,’ like Avery, Rebecca understood when a person was making an effort.
“What books
did you get? ” Rebecca reached out.
“I picked up some picture books for the little kids, and some young adult junk for Meredith. Todd and I went to see if we could find a water tower. We couldn’t find one close to town.”
“That’s a smart idea. With only two and then four people, we used rain barrels. Once it got too cold, and the water was freezing at night, we shoveled snow into them in the kitchen. It’s a pain for not that much water.”
“Yeah, well, we couldn’t find a tower. Then we thought about looking for a solar house at a real estate office.”
“We tried that. We couldn’t find anything outside of ‘solar water heater,’ which didn’t help.” Rebecca was impressed. “You and Todd were smart to think of the real estate office so quickly.”
“Todd thinks we should get our ideas and previous attempts down on paper or something, so that we can be more efficient as a team. Not that our time was wasted this morning, but maybe next time we try something that you and Greg didn’t already attempt.”
“I totally agree.”
They fell behind the group, walking slowly as they talked.
“I like your hair and cap. It makes you look like a catalog model or something.” Rebecca was sure Avery modeled in New York.
“Thanks. I got this at Barney’s during one of my many ‘shopping’ trips this winter.”
“Oh my god,” Rebecca said loudly. “I made Greg go shopping at the stores here like fifty times, until the snow came and blocked us. You did that too?”
“Yeah, I mean, what teenage girl isn’t going to love shopping? It’s awesome.” Avery paused. “So where are you from? What grade were you in?”
“I’m from Concord. My parents owned a grocery store. I just finished High School, well, I had another semester because I had to fulfill these stupid credits, but I was already accepted to a few colleges.”
“Wait, what? How old are you?” Avery stopped.
“I just turned 13. I know, I sort of skipped some grades. I have book smarts.”
“That is so cool. I worked hard in school, it was tough for me, but I made sure I got good grades. Wow, finished with high school already. So, where were you going to college?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t decided. Greg and I fantasized about where I was going, used it as a game to pass the time. On the worst winter days we’d always default to Stanford.”
“You got into Stanford? I thought young kids who graduated early always ended up going to some mediocre school.”
“I don’t know, I got into everywhere I applied. Maybe I was old enough so that they didn’t think I was a freak or something.” Rebecca remembered her interviews, and her ability to sway the committees towards admitting her. “What grade were you in? Were you a senior?”
“I was, but never got to that magical senior year.” Avery told her. “I was a tennis player, pretty good for New York. I was riding that talent to get into a good college. I studied too, but if I was going to Stanford, it was to play tennis, not because of my grades and test scores.”
“You know, I would not have spoken to a girl like you before the rapture.” Rebecca admitted. “I saw you last night, and you’re pretty, and you were probably popular, and I was this twelve year old brainy kid in high school. Our circles would not have intersected. I judged you, and I’m sorry.”
“I wasn’t a nice person a year ago, and I wouldn’t have spoken to you either. You’re right. I was the person you’re talking about. I’m trying to be better. You know, Meredith? She’s eleven. She’s a great girl. You’ll like her. She was only in sixth grade though.”
“The rapture wasn’t a blessing, it was a horrible thing, but I’m trying to take all the positives I can from the experience.” Rebecca told her. “I didn’t have any friends before. I was always younger than my classmates, and while people were nice to me, I didn’t have friends. I’d never spoken to a boy before, not one like Greg. He’s the boy I met last fall.”
“Oh, I know who Greg is.” Avery winked at her.
Rebecca blushed, “Yeah, well, I didn’t have friends, I didn’t talk to boys. I was happy. I did eighth grade volleyball. My parents pulled some strings to get me on an age-appropriate team, but I only saw those girls in the afternoons, and I was not really friends with them.” Rebecca paused. “I guess I’m trying to say, I’m glad you stopped to talk to me. I’m glad I talked to you. I know we are going to be friends, and Meredith too. I’m not happy the rapture happened, but I’m learning to be happy for the things that come from it. Does that make sense?”
“It’s so cliché to say that you are making lemonade, especially when the lemons were the total death and destruction of the human race, but yeah, I get it. You have to move on. I’m trying to do the same, to be a good person, to be kind to people. I was not a nice person ten months ago, and maybe I still have my moments.” Avery stopped in front of the cottage. “We may not become friends, I’m okay with that, but it won’t be because I’m mean. If we aren’t friends it is because we don’t click. Does that make sense?”
“Wait, you don’t like me?” Rebecca asked in a serious tone.
“No, I mean, I didn’t mean that.” Avery was flustered, something she was not used to being.
“I’m just kidding. I’ve been living with a sarcastic boy for six months. He’s rubbing off on me.” Rebecca laughed.
“Not funny, well, kind of funny. I am never the butt of jokes.” Avery feigned anger, but thought, ‘I just met my new best friend.’
“Let’s go see what’s for lunch. You can introduce me to Meredith beyond the ‘hello I’m Rebecca.’” Rebecca walked up the shoveled path. Melting snow ran down the concrete in small rivers.
“You got it.” Avery told her.
Rebecca expected the cottage to be packed with people, particularly because it was lunch. She found only Hank. “There is a cookout at the other house, everyone is down there. Greg brought the meat grinder. They are grinding fresh moose burgers while the grill heats.”
Avery set her books down.
“Sounds good to us.” They said in unison.
Hank, having raised daughters, understood when two people clicked.
“I can walk down with you.” He wore a light jacket, tan canvas on the outside, flannel lined on the inside. The weather was turning. Hank did not need the heavy coats he wore for the last five months. “Avery, isn’t it? I met you last night for a second. You were with that other young girl, Mary? Is that your sister? My name is Hank.”
“Her name is Meredith, and she’s not my sister. She’s a friend, a fellow survivor from New York. Actually she’s from New Jersey.”
“Meredith? I was close with Mary. Okay, thank you. I’m still trying to learn everyone’s name. I’ll get there. Let’s head down for some food.” He opened the back door for the two women and followed them out. “So what were you and my brother doing in town? Were you looking for books?”
“We were trying to find a better water source. We failed.”
“Water is tough. We struggled with it all winter. Not locating it, but keeping it in drinkable form, plus having water on hand for dishes and bathing. It’s a mystery we’ll have to solve. We live by a river and a pond, and it rains here. We have to learn how to harness our sources better.”
“We’ll run out of chlorine at some point too.” Rebecca noted. They used chlorine to purify the rain barrel water for drinking and washing dishes.
“We’ll figure it out.” They strolled at a leisurely pace. “You know, Avery, I spent two months here before you came, and I never stepped foot in the bookstore. We always went to the library, the college library. I guess I didn’t do enough recreational reading. We’ve been busy reading statistics and things like that. My brain could use a break.”
“Your brother talked about starting school for the kids down at the town’s library. He said there is a fireplace.” Avery liked Hank. He was a big, kindhearted man.
“It’s a walk, but that’s probably a good thing too,
keep the muscles and the mind fit. Yeah, that will work well for the time we need it.” He turned and looked at the young woman. “How old are you, Avery? Seventeen?”
“About to turn eighteen. Good guess.”
“I had four daughters. One was your age.” Hank looked at Rebecca. “You can go a little easier on the new guy. He doesn’t understand what he’s up against. I think he still believes he’s a managing director.”
“I don’t know what that means.” Rebecca replied defensively.
Avery laughed. “He means Ahmed still believes he’s a big shot. That somehow his former life is going to come back into play.” She looked at Hank. “Has Rebecca been mean to him?”
“He pressed me for details on my analysis. I gave them to him. He keeps saying things that are wrong, and I correct him.” Rebecca answered flatly. “I am not being mean. He’s being mean, talking to me like I’m in fifth grade.”
“I know. I was just kidding. It’s been interesting to watch. Ahmed is it?” Hank asked Avery. “He was probably a big shot analyst, or managed analysts, and he is used to beating people up with his intelligence. He’s taking it well. I can tell he’s a good person. He opened up when we were fishing. Yeah, he still thinks he’s in charge of something.”
“Well, I haven’t been mean.” Rebecca repeated.
“I know, I was just giving you some grief. Geesh.” Hank put his arm around the girl and gave her a half hug as they walked down the road.
“Ahmed’s a good person. He always ate last, always helped Bernie with the kids. It took a while for him to realize no one was coming to help us, that there was no one to ‘call,’ but after that, he settled down and worked really hard to keep us alive.”
