by Geo Dell
“It wasn't meant to make you stay... It was time,” Bear said. He turned his eyes back out to the valley. In the far distance a herd of bison grazed. Whether their own or a wild herd he could not tell. At one time the entire valley had been closed. No longer. A smaller valley on the opposite side of the mountain held the winter herd. Small. What they could afford to keep and feed through the cold months, and the cold months were lasting longer and longer now. The rest were turned loose. They mingled with the wild herds, but they never forgot the valley was their home, and so they could be depended upon to come back in the spring.
Ron followed his eyes and watched the herd of Bison in the distance through the blowing snow. “Big herd.”
Bear nodded and then turned. “You will stay?”
“She will stay...” he paused and let his words sink in. Concern mounted in Bear's eyes. “She seems to think that I should take the leadership being offered by the Fold... Bring us all together as a people again.”
Bear smiled. “She is like my own blood.” He laughed. A small laugh, but then he let it roll out of his huge chest. “Might give Mike a reason to live after all. I can see it. I can see it.” He fell quiet, watching the bison as they moved more fully into the protection the walls of the valley offered. Their coats were already snowy, carrying the weight of the snow as it hid them from the eyes of predators. Ron watched with him.
“Almost gone already... If I didn't know exactly where to look...”
“Yeah. I never get tired of it,” Bear agreed. “I'm older than all of them, you know. It's so unfair. Beth was so young, should have outlived us all. Here I am in my late seventies, almost eighty now... Soon I will be...” He sighed. “Mike is barely fifty, Candace a little younger than that.” He shook his head. “Where did it all go to?” He turned and met Ron's eyes, but Ron only shrugged as he held his eyes. Both men turned back to the valley, but just that fast the Bison, who had been moving nearer, had disappeared under their walking blankets of white.
“Insulates them too. Hard for me to believe that but it is true,” Bear said. He turned back to Ron. “She's right... It's what should have been done long ago.” He stood and turned back into the cave where Candace stood talking to several other OutRunners. The only vehicles they still had were the OutRunner vehicles. Everything else had long been given back to rust and age. The OutRunner vehicles had only gotten better. Built from scratch and modified with more and more technology as they came across it in the old, hidden military bases they sought out on their missions.
Bear stood to his full height and raised his arms high above him. “People,” Bear's voice boomed out and the people in the cave stopped what they were doing and looked to him. He may have been closing in on eighty, but there was still a great deal of fight in that voice. Power. At one time there had been several thousand people here. Now there were slightly more than two thousand, still a great responsibility, and a growing one, even with the world on the brink of extinction. He waited until he had everyone's attention, at least those that were inside. Most were working at this time, but it didn't matter. The news would find them.
Rain came from the back. The baby gone. Most likely sleeping on a pile of furs with a few others, Bear thought. She came to Ron. Her face tense. Unsure what was about to be said.
“You all know me. You all, I hope, know that I am not pretentious. I pray to God I never have been or will be. I am just a man.” He paused. “There is no easy way to say this, for I love you all. You mean something to me. Every one of you. And if you can look at this in that light you will realize it is past the time I stepped down.” A few gasps punctuated the silence and a very low buzz of hushed, surprised conversation.
“It has never been concealed from you that I have looked at Rain as my blood. That is why I hope and pray that you will accept her leadership of this Nation.” Bear fell silent and the silence in the cave held for a few moments before the cheers began. With a few seconds the crowds around himself and Rain were so thick they found them self pushed together and herded back into the central area of the cave. Questions. They would have them. He had to answer some of them at least.
Bear raised his arms and waited for the quiet. “I give you your leader... Will you accept her?”
The cave reverberated with the shouts of yes.
“It's finished then,” Bear said softly. He said it softly on purpose to hold their attention for a moment longer. “Before the celebration begins I will explain why it had to be now. When Candace and her OutRunner team leaves I will be going with them to Alabama Island. I will leave tonight with them, and I do not know if I will return. My wish will be to return, but that old dog age is nipping at my heels, and who knows, maybe I will reach the warmth of the sea and wish to stay there.” He waited for the laughter to die down. “You needed a leader now. A leader that can take you to the next place the Nation needs to be. The same place we have all worked to attain, togetherness, healing, advancement. A man or a woman grows, or they die. The Nation is the same way. We forgot that back in the wars. I have remembered it now. Rain has never forgotten it,” his voice fell even lower. “Something I only wish I could claim. Something I am proud of to see living within her.” He met as many eyes as he could.
“God willing I will see you all again,” Bear told them. He turned and embraced Rain as her tears fell and then his eyes fell on Candace where she awaited him. He kissed Rain's eyelids, told her he loved her and wished her all the best there could be, and then he joined Candace. A moment later they were making their way through the tunnel to the Eastern side of the mountain where the OutRunners had their own quarters. The laughter and cheers of congratulation falling away behind them.
“You surprised me,” Candace said as they walked.
“I surprised me,” Bear agreed.
The OutRunners were ten all in all. He found that impressive. The first group he himself had formed had been only four. And what they had then was nothing compared to what they had now. Weapons, vehicles, armor and more bags of tricks, some Bear was sure he himself didn't fully understand the implications of.
They turned from the main tunnel way into a wide open area filled with large trucks and bustling with activity.
“Ten minutes...” Candace faltered, unsure how to address him. For so long she had addressed him as Leader, grandfather, when she had been younger, she didn't know what to do now that he had turned his reigns of leadership over so quickly.
“Bear will do,” he told her as her face colored. “Or grandfather.”
“Ten minutes... Grandfather,” she said at last. Bear nodded and turned his attention to his own preparations for leaving as he waited. He pulled his pouch from one wide pocket and rolled a cigarette.
“Roll me one,” Billy Jingo said as he walked up. “That was so fast, Bear.” Billy told him. Behind Billy, leaning against the wall from the tunnel, Pearl gave a hand wave and Bear smiled and waved back before turning his attention to Billy.
“Shit will kill you,” Bear said as he rolled a second smoke and passed it to Billy.
“So I hear, yet I'm still alive.” He studied Bear for a few moments. “Took me completely by surprise. I thought it would be this... The easy life right to the end, Bear.”
Bear sighed. “So did I, to be honest. Things sometimes do change fast though. And that is what happened here. I had a chance to do the right thing, and I did it. Doesn't make up for all of my life... A bit though.”
“I have always liked Rain,” Billy said. “She'll make a good leader.”
“You'll support her?”
“With everything I am,” Billy agreed. “Pearl, Dani too.”
“Bear,” Candace said as she approached. “We need to get going.”
Bear took the hand Billy offered, and then bear hugged him, pulling him to him. “Been a long road,” Bear said huskily.
“It has. I for one believe you will be coming back. Don't make me wrong,” Billy told him as he followed Candace to one of the huge trucks. Bear stepped inside and t
hen turned back. “Give Rain a big hug for me... I will be back if I can, Billy. If I can.” He turned back, the door hummed and then disappeared. Billy stepped back as a moment later the truck came to life, and began to roll near silently across the floor to a huge metal door set into the wall. A second later that metal door began to lift, revealing the swirling snow outside. A few seconds later and the truck was gone. The door down, the floor wet and steaming. Billy turned and found Pearl behind him, she took his hand and together they walked back to the long tunnel that lead back to the main cave.
On The Road: Bear
The snow swirled and leapt on the wind as it fell. The flakes blowing this way and then the other. Bear stood in the center of the road, the wind swirled around him, carrying the snow onward. He was not dressed for the cold, but it didn't matter. The cold was of no concern to him anymore.
He looked down at his hands. A young mans hands, not the old, scared and bent hands he had come to know in the last several years. There was no mystery here. He had always thought there would be, but there wasn't. He had stepped from that world to this one effortlessly and in complete possession of himself, where he was, what he was.
The pain had begun in his shoulder blade. A deep ache, probably caused by the seat, Bear had thought, but a few moments later it had grown much worse. Deep stabbing pains that seemed to shoot completely through his chest from back to front. Then he had felt the rhythm of his heart stumble, falter, become erratic. He had managed to lean forward, but he had no words. The pain was too much by that point. He had sagged back into the seat. Candace had alerted the driver and got him to stop.
He had been gone before they had dragged him out of the truck to do CPR. He had watched as Candace's tears had fallen and she had willed him to come back, knowing it was in vain. And although he had expected he would feel sadness at his own passing, sadness at her tears, he did not. It was a fact. He was gone, and she would soon be gone a s well, the others too. It was part of the cycle, and so there was no loss to mourn. Mourning was for the living who did not fully understand the cycle of life. On this side of life the things that only seconds before had seemed so important to him were meaningless.
Candace stood from the ground and pushed her hair from her face where it clung in sweaty clumps. Tears streaked her face, mixing with the sweat. Her heart began to slow its rhythm as she sucked in deep lungfuls of clean, cold air. Her chest hitched as she tried to suppress another sob. It was no use she sagged against the truck and let the sobs come unchecked.
~
She stood waiting just around the bend in the road, a slim figure in the swirl of snow. He nearly froze when he saw her. He had expected it, but only after it had happened. Something to get used to about death, he mused. The information was all right there. You knew it when you needed to know it. Nothing was withheld.
It had been too many years since he had seen her. Too long since he had held her. The snow swirled and leapt, following the wind. She raised one hand and waved. He began to walk once more.
MAJOR CHARACTER BIBLIOGRAPHY
~
ANNIE
Annie came to the others after being rescued from Sin and Murder, two gang members, in a gun battle that left two people dead (Book One). Annie's rescue is what set off the battle between the North side and the Public Square crews, and that ultimately dragged Mike, Candace and the others into the fight.
Annie was in school before the world went crazy, that's the way she thinks of it, the world went crazy. As the series matures Annie becomes one of the major characters. Even early on, in the first book, you can see her willingness to speak out, to be involved, and you can see her loyalty. Annie is still a child, sixteen , when the series starts.
Although it isn't expressly written it seems clear that it was Annie who kept Brian and Janelle safe in the midst of the violence and chaos they were forced to live in...
~
BEAR
Bear is the leader of the Outrunners just as Mike is the current leader of the Nation. Bear will lead the Outrunners through all the coming books. He, Beth, Billy and Pearl are the heart of the team. As the books progress, Mike Collins himself will take a turn as an Outrunner.
Bear came from New York where he lived with Donita before the plagues began. He is loyal. He is a loner and prefers to be. He and Donita were a couple, although she no longer remembers that life and he does not know what has become of her. He and Beth have formed a relationship that they will need to depend on.
In later books the Outrunners will have their own place in the Nation society. They will live somewhat apart from the others, and an air of awe and mystery surrounds them. Bear does his best in the future to reinforce that.
It is Bear and the Outrunners that will become the bridge between The Nation and its biggest rival, The Fold. It is also the Outrunners who will eventually unravel the mystery of how the Zombie Apocalypse became to be. They will protect The Nation, search out weapons and stock piled foodstuffs, and they will fight the Zombie Plagues. Bear is the key to all of it. The one man who lives on the edge and likes the view there. With Beth he is the major force behind the Outrunners, who keep the Nation safe and allow the society there to live in relative peace in the valley.
~
BETH
Beth is quite often Bear's voice of reason. She is not the sort of woman who feels a need to be helped, or told what to do. She is a leader. She has strong opinions. She doesn't consider the loss of her arm to be a disability.
In many ways she is very much like Candace, Strong, Independent, Secure in her abilities. She is an important part of the Outrunners, not just a figurehead. And she will become an important part of The Nation. She is a singer, lyricist and that will bring her into closer contact and friendship with Candace who enjoys the same things. She misses L.A. Sometimes, but she loves Bear and the life they have, along with the security The Nation provides its peoples.
~
BILLY
For the time being, Billy will remain wherever Bear is. He is very loyal to him, The Nation, and the Outrunners. In the novel Billy Jingo we learn much more about him before the plagues, where he came from, what his life was before the apocalypse.
Once Billy met Pearl his goals, plans, and future outlook began to change. He realized he finally had someone that he needed, not just wanted. And he realized that that need was returned to him from her.
In the future books the two of them will have their own goals and plans that may eventually take them away from the Nation.
~
BOB
Bob doesn't say much about Bob. What we know comes from Janet, or observed behaviors and talents that are related to us from other characters.
We Know it is Bob who has the dream to start the Nation. His dream is not a new dream he has had it for years, believed in it for years. I wonder if Bob was thought of as fanatical back in the old world. He probably was.
Bob has knowledge of farming, living off the land, herbs, food that can be harvested from nature and how to do it. Bob has that knowledge because he took the time to learn it from his Native American brothers. He has taught a great deal to Janet, but it will be Bob that everyone depends on to know what to do in almost every situation: Farming; Living off the land; Herbal medicines; Preserving meat; making leather. The list goes on.
Bob is trained as a mechanic, but he is one of those people who know how to do almost anything they put their mind to. If Mike is the leader, Bob and his knowledge are the backbone.
Bob is very laid back. He is uncomfortable with praise. He is against violence, but when it came down to it in the standoff that ended in Annie, Janelle and Brian being freed, Bob didn't hesitate to kill the gang member Murder. Tom was still thinking about the situation. Bob sized it up and reacted. That speaks to Bob's character, consistency. It can be seen in almost everything he does.
~
CANDACE
Candace Loi would have started her new career as a dancer on the 11th of March had th
e world stayed the same. She had been working at a club on the north side of the city of Watertown New York run by organized crime. She had danced a few times, but had been relegated to tending bar because the club manager did not want her to throw her life away on dancing.
Her Grandmother Pan (Deceased) had lived in Watertown for years. Candace had Lived in Syracuse where she hoped to follow her father into Law Enforcement. She couldn't afford the college courses so she moved to Watertown where she believed she could dance, save the money for college, and no one would be the wiser.
She is Nineteen at the beginning of the series. She is strong willed, knows what she wants, and goes for it. She is an excellent shot, but on more than one occasion she showed restraint, didn't shoot when she could have. The few times she has killed someone she had no choice. Even so she didn't hesitate.
Her confidant early on is Jan. Jan took her under her wing. But once Patty comes into the picture she and Candace begin a relationship that grows in unexpected ways.
The most commented thing about her is her tattoo that begins on the back of her left hand, flows up her arm, across her breasts and then down across her stomach and beyond.
The second most commented upon thing about her are her looks influenced by her father who was African American and her Mother who was Japanese.
She wants to be pregnant, she can see herself as a mother, and she sees salvation for the world in children. She is a musician, singer/songwriter. She was told more than once that she could have made it as a musician. She, once they are somewhat settled down, but even as they travel, begins once more to write music and lyrics.
She and Mike Collins are the two main characters in the novels.
Other Information
In the Novel Billy Jingo Candace has a small part as a cashier in a grocery store.
In the Novel Alone she also has a small part as a cashier in that same store.
In the novel Kat and Pat she has a small part as a dancer that reveals a little more about her first few months in the club than chapter one of the first book shows us.
