by A. R. Shaw
“He’s keeping watch. I’ll eat now and then he’ll come in after,” Graham said, “So let’s save him a plate and several of the biscuits too. He’ll like them. They’re really good.”
“Tala made them even though she didn’t have a recipe,” Macy said.
“Thank you, Graham, glad you like them.” Tala turned to Macy and added, “They’re not hard to make. I’ll show you how to do it. So we’re keeping watch now?” Tala asked, returning her gaze to Graham.
“Yes. Ennis saw two men cross the lake in a canoe today, and we don’t know if they are good or bad. Not only that, but we ourselves saw several doors kicked in back in town. We need to be more vigilant. We have food, cars, and fuel that other people might want to take from us by force, so we really need to start being more careful around here. And that means each of us is going to start keeping watch, night and day.”
They all stopped eating and stared at Graham with worried expressions.
“This is the way things are now. Two people will keep watch, in teams. One young person and one adult. We are going to build stands at the front and lake entrances. Understand?” he asked.
“All night, too?” Bang asked.
“Yes, even at night. Those who do the night watch will sleep during the day,” Graham said.
Marcy bit her bottom lip. “What if we see something?”
“Ennis and I are trying to come up with some kind of alert system. We don’t have cell phone use anymore, and so far we haven’t come across any two-way radios,” Graham said.
“There were some in that house, in the kitchen, above the fridge,” Macy said.
“There were? Why didn’t you say so?” Graham asked.
“I didn’t know we needed them.”
“These days those are a necessity. We’ll go back for them tomorrow.” Graham finished his hearty dinner so that he could switch off with Ennis before the old man’s food got too cold.
Graham rose from the table and grabbed another biscuit, stuffing it into his mouth. “You”—he pointed to Tala—“must make these every day now,” he said with a smile. He grabbed another, along with his rifle, and headed back to the porch.
Tala’s pleased laughter followed him. “Happy to provide some enjoyment.”
“You’re relieved, Ennis,” Graham said, opening the door.
The old man rose the way that old men rise—slowly, with soreness in their aged bones and muscles. Graham noticed the chill in the air and knew Ennis couldn’t handle the colder temperatures, and it wasn’t even winter yet.
He knew he’d have to take on the brunt of the night watches, but even the daytime watches would soon get unbearable for Ennis. He wished Bang were a bit older, then reminded himself he needed to stop thinking of the girls as useless when it came to outside work. Macy could be tough, and she’d proven to be a really good shot.
Graham settled down into the rocker and listened to the quiet around him. He could hear faint conversations at the dinner table. The deciduous trees scattered among the evergreens were turning brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red. The wild grasses, having expended their chlorophyll for the season, now turned dry and brittle underfoot, paving the way for winter’s arrival. Soon the snow would cover this hidden oasis—or so Graham hoped.
Tomorrow he would take Macy with him back to the supply house and retrieve the radios. With them he hoped they’d be able to practice better vigilance.
That night, Graham and Macy took their first watch after Ennis and Bang took a shorter four-hour watch because he just didn’t think either could handle more than that. He positioned the girl behind the bushes, bundled her up in two coats. If she heard or saw anything alarming, she would sneak around to the cabin and alert the others. Graham positioned himself likewise and climbed up a scrawny tree to get a better view, and found watching to be boring and mundane at best but at least it gave him time to think.
~ ~ ~
In the morning, Graham watched as Macy high-fived Marcy before dragging her own tired butt up to the cabin door. He knew he wasn’t the only one exhausted. Ennis and Bang were still asleep, snoring softly as Graham and Macy made their way to their own beds, pulling the covers over their heads because the dawn was beginning to show already through the windows.
31 An Extra Setting
When Graham awoke a few hours later, he saw Macy still sleeping, so he slipped off to the shower. When he was done he woke her so they could get their errand underway. He wanted to get the platforms built before the day was over and the night watch began.
While Macy was in the shower, Graham wandered into the dining room, where Tala handed him a cup of steaming black coffee.
“This is going to be an adjustment for all of us,” she said.
“You don’t look so perky yourself,” he said.
“Well, Marcy scared me to death last night. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up. I heard her call out, and I ran over there to find her trying to climb up a madrone tree; a raccoon had scared her.” Graham choked a bit on his coffee at the thought.
They were both chuckling as Macy came out of the bathroom. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing much, but ask your sister about raccoons when you see her,” Graham said, then turned his attention back to Tala. “Who’s where right now?”
“Marcy is taking her turn fishing with Bang on watch there, and Ennis is by the entrance,” she said.
“Okay, that’s good.” Tala had made more biscuits, and Graham went to grab one. She wrapped several in a cloth napkin and handed it to him as Graham went out onto the porch to enjoy his breakfast, waiting for Macy to be ready.
The morning mist gave way to blue skies, just like the day before. They took the new truck and drove slowly with the windows down, listening and watching for anything to move as the dirt road gave way to pavement. At one point Macy held up her hand to alert Graham to stop as a parade of four turkeys crossed in front of them without any sense of haste, puffing their black and white feathers out and displaying their bright red neck waddles as they crossed to the other side and disappeared into the brush.
“Should we go after them?” Macy asked.
“Not today, but we will soon. A couple of turkeys could feed us for a week. My mother used to save the turkey carcasses after Thanksgiving and then boil them to make broth. We just have to be careful not to take too many of them at once.”
As he pulled up the long gravel driveway, Graham half expected the paperboy to pedal by and toss a bundle at his feet. That’s how normal everything felt here now, and he had to find a way to reconcile this vision with their current circumstances.
He listened for any potential danger, and then waved for Macy to join him. They unlocked the door and he had Macy keep watch at the window while he went into the kitchen to retrieve the two-way radios. It was quiet in there—too quiet, unlike the other day when they’d all been busy scavenging.
Graham opened the cupboard and saw the radios right away. These weren’t the cheap toy models either. Probably a Costco find. There were three units, perfect for their current needs. He also grabbed the charger base just as he heard Macy scream, “Graham!”
He dropped everything, pulled up his rifle, and ran for her. He found her staring out the corner of the window, trying to be inconspicuous, “Come here,” she waved frantically.
He looked out the window and saw an old camo-painted army jeep parked in the street at the end of the long driveway. One man dressed in a dark blue hazmat suit with a respirator got out of the driver’s seat and stood guard, while the passenger, also in a hazmat suit and respirator, exited and moved to the back gate of the vehicle.
“What the hell?”
As they watched through the window, the man in the back struggled with something. Macy turned the deadbolt, as if that would help against an intrusion. The driver could clearly see Graham and Macy, but made no motion to do anything but guard the jeep as the other man emerged from the back of it carrying a body, zip-tied a
t the hands and feet and with a black sack tied over its head. The captive person struggled.
“Shit!” Graham said.
“What are they doing?” Macy asked.
“I don’t know, honey,” he said.
The man carried the uncooperative body with some difficulty. He walked partway up the grassy yard and laid the body on its side while the driver aimed his weapon in their direction. The other man pulled out what looked like a note and held it up for Graham to see, then dropped it on the body and walked away. They sped off quickly. By the time Graham got down the long drive, there was no sign of them.
He knelt by the body and untied the black bag over the head, pulling it off, revealing a blond teenage boy struggling against the gag still in his mouth. When Graham tried to help him, the youth jerked away as much as the ties would let him. Fear flared in his brown eyes.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Graham said.
The boy shook his head violently from side to side and pulled back again, tears forming in his eyes.
Graham pulled out his pocketknife and grabbed the back of the boy’s head, shoving it forward to release the gag.
With bruising on his cheeks and bloodshot eyes, the young man had clearly been beaten.
“Are you a prepper?” he asked Graham as soon as he was able. His lips were cracked and bleeding, making it difficult for him to be understood. His mouth was probably dry as a bone, too.
“What? A prepper? No,” Graham said, reaching for the note when he heard Macy approaching.
“Stay back, Macy,” he said. “Just wait there.”
He opened the note and read it aloud:
We took this boy after accidently killing the man he was with. He’s a carrier, like you all. We cannot keep him with us, and are making a goodwill gesture by turning him over to you. In return, we expect you to adhere to the boundaries on the attached map marking our territories. One encounter will kill us all. We have voted to let you live, but one act of defiance and we will exterminate all of you.
D. H., President, Cascade Prepper Assoc.
Graham folded the note, put it into his jacket pocket, and reached for the boy’s hand with the pocketknife. When he flinched away again, Graham said, “Now look, I’m trying to untie you, all right?”
After the boy’s arms had been freed, Graham helped him bring them around to the front. He knew the boy’s muscles must ache from struggling against the restraints. He cut the ankle bindings.
“Can you stand?” he asked him.
“I don’t know. My legs are really weak.”
“What’s your name?”
“What’s yours?” the boy shot back.
Macy came around before Graham could answer and said, “Look, kid, he’s trying to help you. Don’t be such a loser.”
“It’s okay, Macy,” Graham said to her.
“Mark. My name’s Mark.”
“How old are you, Mark?”
“Sixteen.”
Graham touched his cheek. “Did those guys hurt you?”
“No, not really. I tried to untie myself and fell face first on the floor of the shack they had me in.”
“Did they feed you?” Graham asked while he and Macy helped Mark to the truck.
“Once a day they gave me an MRE. They said it was all they could spare,” Mark said.
“How’d they come across you?” Graham asked.
Mark lowered his head, breathing hard, and Graham saw that he was trying not to cry.
“Macy, go in the house and get those radios and the charger that goes with them,” Graham said.
When she’d run back up the drive, Graham gave the boy’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. Tears filled the kid’s eyes.
“Mr. Bishop was the only one left here, so I stayed with him after my folks died. We saw these guys coming door to door one night from across the street and they were wearing blue hazmat suits. Mr. Bishop, he shot at one of them but missed. I told him not to, but he didn’t listen. The one guy shot him. He was standing right beside me!” Graham watched with sympathy as Mark turned white at the recollection of the terrifying ordeal. Mark turned his face away.
“Was he the man I found dead in the campground office?” Graham asked.
“Yeah, that’s where I dragged him and he died there on me. There was blood everywhere. I tried to stop it with my hands, but I couldn’t. Then I heard the guys arguing, and they broke the door open and dragged me out of there. They blindfolded me, and the next thing I knew, was tied to a chair in a wood shack somewhere. That was at least two weeks ago. Two different people came in every day in those suits, blindfolded me, took me somewhere to do my business, and then took me back into the shack. They gave me water in a bag with a straw and an MRE thing. They made me eat all of it quick, tied me back up, put me on a cot, and left me till the next day. I heard one of them say I was a carrier and too dangerous to keep around,” Mark said.
It looked to Graham as if the boy’s statement drained everything out of him. It would be a while before Mark was healthy again, but he could see that he possessed an inner strength and was sure he’d be all right. He heard Macy coming up behind him. After she had put the equipment into the truck, she helped Graham walk Mark over to the cab. He practically lifted the emaciated boy into the seat and Macy stayed with him while Graham locked up the house again.
When he got back to the truck, Macy held the boy up; he was shaking from the cold. “Why’d they do this to him?” she nearly yelled.
“We are carriers of the virus, and some are still susceptible to it,” Graham explained.
“They almost killed me. I could hear them arguing about doing it,” Mark said through chattering teeth.
“That is the million-dollar question. Why didn’t they? You were a great threat to them,” Graham said as he put the truck in gear and headed back to the cabin.
~ ~ ~
They pulled up to the cabin and took the boy inside. Graham watched anger flare in Tala’s dark, expressive eyes as she treated the bloody marks on Mark’s wrists and ankles and expressed anger over his poor treatment. She gave him a glass of water, told him to sip it slowly. When it stayed down, she made him a cup of hot tea. A few minutes later she broke up a couple of leftover biscuits, moistened them, and fed them to him slowly. They sat him by the woodstove and piled extra blankets around him
Bang went up to him shyly and showed him his bow and arrow. Mark held it, felt the smooth wood, and smiled at the boy. He told him it was good and asked him to show him how to use it sometime.
Ennis called Graham outside to discuss the situation.
“What the hell happened to the new stray?” Ennis asked.
Graham explained in detail about the boy’s delivery and showed Ennis the note with the territory map.
Both men were breathing hard and angry. The old man had his hands on his hips and scuffed the ground with his boot. “This ain’t right,” he said after a bit.
“They should’ve killed him, and us too. Why didn’t they?” he asked Graham.
“I don’t know. They sure as hell have the equipment, and reason enough to do it. Why’d they keep the boy and go to the trouble to seek us out to keep him alive? We carry the virus that with one contact could wipe them out completely.”
“Do we know where their camp is?”
“I can only assume it’s somewhere in their territory.” Graham ran a finger around the edge of the map, “They kept the boy blindfolded, so he doesn’t know where their base is.”
“You think he’s the one that left the bloody handprints at the campground office?” Ennis asked.
“Yeah, the kid told me the guy he was with shot at one of them, and then they returned fire and killed him. They took him and kept him in a shed all this time, with these low temperatures at night. It’s a wonder he survived without even a blanket.”
“It just don’t make sense,” Ennis said.
“I know. For now, I say let’s just get that kid past the hypothermia stage and fatten
him up a little. It’s going to snow soon, and getting through the winter might prove to be a bigger enemy than the preppers at this point.”
Graham started to walk toward the cabin when Ennis called out, “We only have room for this one Graham. No more strays.”
Graham nodded, then thought to ask, “Who’s on watch?”
“Me and Marcy.” Ennis shuffled off to his hideout at the entrance in the woods, while Graham pulled out the radios and connected the battery packs, testing them to see if they worked properly.
~ ~ ~
Tala kept pouring warm tea into Mark, worrying about dehydration. A bit later she gave him some of the dried venison and told him to eat it slowly. He tried to pull a chunk off with his teeth, winced, then tore it with his fingers into small pieces and chewed it with an expression on his face that made it clear he savored every bit of its sweet taste.
“When you want to, Mark, the bathroom is this way,” Tala pointed. “I’ve set out some clothing on the counter in there for you. You can take a warm shower if you like.”
The young man looked at Tala. “Thank you,” he said in a way that showed he truly meant it.
She could see the pain in his young eyes. Like the other survivors, Mark had suffered deeply, been through and witnessed too many things for a person of his age. For a person of any age, she thought. She stroked his head and, at first reluctant to receive caring of any sort, he pulled away. She murmured softly to him until he relaxed against her, allowing her to hug him. He was sixteen, still just a boy, as her brothers had been.
“You’re going to be fine here,” Tala said. “We all get along pretty well. You haven’t met Marcy yet. She’s Macy’s twin sister. She’s on watch right now, but she’ll be back here soon.
Graham came in the front door and the boy started to get up on shaky legs. Graham helped him to the bathroom and, smiling, the boy told him that he could handle it from there.
