“I know.” Carl nodded.
“I’m sorry,” Tara said, “If I had stopped Ben sooner…”
“You did what you could. Ben tricked all of us. We never saw him coming until it was too late.”
“The wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Tara then leaned into Carl’s upper chest. Carl hugged her. “Carl, do you really think there was anything good in that man?”
“Who knows?” Carl asked, “Sometimes I wonder what makes people do evil things.”
“Great. We’re going to turn into mushy-headed liberals like Preston,” Tara said with a laugh.
“I heard that,” said Preston, who was approaching them from the other side of Carl.
Tara laughed. “He…” She pointed to Carl. “He started it.”
“Traitor,” Carl said.
Preston took a look at Harold. “It doesn’t seem fair. He came all this way but he couldn’t enjoy what we found, couldn’t see his boys turn into men.”
“If I could, I would have taken his place. I’d have done it gladly.” Carl released Tara. “It’s not as if I have any children of my own. Better to have Harold live than me.”
“Carl,” Tara said with a slightly scolding tone.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know if I feel quite at home here yet.” Carl looked at the church roof above him. “I think it’s going to be a while.”
Carl smiled. Shyanne had done a magnificent job helping to cut the name Harold Bosworth on the small stone sticking out of the ground. She did two of the letters, allowing Lorenzo, Ricardo, Thomas and Matthew to do the rest. Carl wanted to help but abstained in favor of the others. It was something they could do for the man who had helped them all through their times of peril.
They held a funeral service late that afternoon. Carl did his best to give the man a proper eulogy but looking at the faces of Matthew and Tom made it difficult. The boys had lost their father. Nothing in their young lives could have prepared them for this. They had come so far to find a home only to lose their father.
“He’s with Mom now,” Matt said. The boy tried to sound happy, but it was a thin effort at best. Carl understood the next few days would be hard for the two boys. He vowed to do all he could to help them.
As the next few days passed, though, other worries continued nagging at him. Perhaps thinking of the boys’ dead father kept his thoughts on his own family. They had not shown up at East Creek, which meant they had not returned to their farm yet and discovered Carl’s note saying he was in the area. It had not been a week, though. Perhaps his mother still was being treated by the doctor there. Things were going to be much slower from here on.
But as he returned to Harold’s grave one morning, he remained unsettled. He looked down at the burial ground. He wished to hear the man’s counsel one more time. He had other friends to depend on, but Harold was like the older brother he never had. In some ways he was the closest thing Carl had had to a father on his long journey here.
“I’m sure you know,” Carl said, “that your boys are doing better. They’re still a little withdrawn, but I think they’re coming out of it. They’ve found some good people here to help them out. There’s a man named Sam who lost his boys in a riot shortly after the lights went out. He’s a lot like you, actually, except his beard is a lot longer.” Carl tried to laugh, but instead he just sighed. “Everyone else is settling in. I should be happy, but I’m not. I don’t know what it is. I guess I just can’t bring myself to, to stop, to finally bring it to an end.”
He paced next to the burial plot as he continued. “I feel like there’s still something I have to do. Maybe I need to know that I’ve done everything I can do for the country, for all of us. I don’t know what that is. I don’t know what’s left. But if I can find it, maybe I finally can settle down.”
Carl decided to leave, feeling he still had to finalize his decision. However, in his gut he knew he had made his choice.
Chapter Nineteen
Carl studied the faces of Michael, Tara and Preston across the table. He probed their countenances for signs of anger, confusion, fear, anything they might be feeling. Tara, with her widening eyes, reacted the most to Carl’s decision. “Alone?”
Carl nodded with a soft smile. “That’s the plan. This doesn’t need to involve anyone but me.”
“But what about your coughing?” Tara pointed to Carl’s chest. “What if you get sick out there?”
“I’ve been doing a lot better.” Carl coughed. “That was just some food in my throat,” he said, quickly adding, “I’ve been exercising, getting stronger, getting back on my feet. I won’t have any problems, trust me. Besides, if I go alone, the journey’s going to go a lot faster. I don’t have to protect or look after anyone, and if there’s danger, I can duck and hide a lot more quickly. Moving around is going to be a lot easier.”
“Even so, Bristol is what, three days from here on foot?” Michael asked, “That’s plenty of time to run into trouble.”
“I don’t think I’ll underestimate anything from now on.” Carl chuckled. “But you can understand why it’s better for me to go alone.”
“Okay, I get the logic,” Preston began, “but you sound as though you’re going to be gone for a long time.”
“I might be.” Carl stirred the potatoes on his plate. “I don’t know what I’ll find when I get there. Even with everything we’ve gone through, there’s still a whole lot we don’t know about the outside world. I might find a revitalized American army. Maybe the government survived. Or maybe a civil war has broken out. I just want you all to be prepared for anything.” He sighed. “There’s even the chance I don’t come back at all.”
Tara winced. “Carl, don’t say that. For God’s sake, after all we’ve been through, to lose you now out there?”
“I know. Believe me, I don’t want to put you through that kind of pain. I just need to do this,” Carl said.
Preston stuck his fork back in his food. “What about Shyanne? You’re going to break the news to her?”
Carl nodded. “I am. Definitely. It’ll be soon. I won’t spring this on her too close before I leave.”
Tara smiled, with some quivering in her cheeks. “She really loves you, Carl. Please, keep that in mind. You don’t want to leave her behind without her never knowing what happened to you.”
Carl leaned back in his chair. “I know.” He looked away, not able to see the prying eyes of his friends. “That’s the one thing that makes this almost unbearable.”
The yard in front of the school building was alive with children running and playing. Just about all of them came from Adam’s Point. Their parents had brought them here to study the school. The place had been shut down since the power had gone out, but there was serious talk about reopening it. It was necessary to finally start teaching the children again. They had to know about their history, their culture, everything that would be needed to rebuild their society.
Carl picked out Shyanne. She was talking with another girl her age. The other girl, a blonde with her hair spilling out of a single ponytail, seemed very happy. Shyanne had made another friend.
I’m sure she misses her parents, but at least she’s going to enjoy a normal life again, Carl thought. Here, she had the real chance of resuming her education, of enjoying the company of friends, of having a family with Michael and Tara. She would not be on the road, running and hiding from anarchists and murderers.
Shyanne’s apparent safety made Carl’s decision a little easier, but his task of telling her about his plans also made it more difficult. As he started talking to her after her new friend ran off to her parents, he knew he would have to be gentle.
“So, who was that?” Carl asked.
“Mary Ann,” Shyanne said, “she’s going to start school with the rest of us.” Shyanne’s big smile showed off her teeth. “She’s going to be in my grade!”
“That’s great,” Carl replied. He swallowed. He couldn’t put this off any longer. “There’s something I want to talk to
you about. It’s important, and it may make you a little sad.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that we may need to split up for a while. You see, I didn’t find my parents at their farm. They left me a note. They told me where they went. I’m going to go after them, find them, and bring them back here to live with us.”
“Okay.” Shyanne smiled. “Why would I be sad?”
Carl exhaled a loud breath. “Well, I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. The world is very dangerous. You know how it’s been for us the past few weeks. I don’t know what I’ll find out there. I want you to understand that I may not be back in time for your next birthday. Or for next Christmas, or for New Year’s. It may be a longer time than either of us would like.”
“You mean years?” Shyanne asked with rising panic in her voice.
“I don’t know. I hope not. But it’s important that you know what could happen. I don’t want to dump any surprises on you.” Carl smiled. “Besides, I may need some extra time to find you a great birthday present, or Christmas present, or both.”
Shyanne looked down. “You’re the best present I want.”
Carl nodded. “I know.” This wasn’t turning out to be easy, but Carl expected this would be difficult. “Then I’ll do the best I can to make sure you get it, and more.”
“But what’ll I do without you?”
“Well, you can go back to school, make good grades, make new friends. Be good for Tara and Michael. They’ll take excellent care of you. I know they will.” Carl licked the inside of his mouth. “And try not to chase any boys while I’m gone.”
Shyanne giggled. “Mister Carl!”
“That’s important now.” Carl gently poked Shyanne in the chest with his finger, before sending his digit up to tap the bottom of Shyanne’s chin, making the girl giggle even harder.
The two laughed for a little while, until Shyanne grew a little somber. “I’ll miss you.”
Carl nodded. “I’ll miss you too.”
The pair then hugged. Shyanne wept softly, and after a while, so did Carl.
At last the day of Carl’s departure had come. Carl ventured toward the edge of East Creek with his backpack strapped on. He was not prepared for the small crowd of twenty people, consisting of all of his friends and some of the Adam’s Point survivors.
“Quite a send off,” Carl said with burning cheeks. He never felt comfortable with big crowds recognizing him.
“Just a reminder.” Tara brushed past Carl as she talked. “A reminder of what you need to come back to.” She then hugged Carl.
The two embraced for a while. Once the two parted, Carl turned to a lineup of his friends—Preston, Michael, Lorenzo, Alicia, Ricardo and his mother, Thomas, Matthew, and some of the Adam’s Point leadership that Carl had come to know. Carl slipped off his backpack to allow for the approaching embraces of friends and colleagues.
Noah was among the last to speak to Carl. “These people really respect and treasure you,” Noah said. “From what I’ve heard and seen, I can see why. Hurry back. I’d be honored to have you here as a full-time member of the community.”
Carl shook Noah’s hand. “Keep this place together until I get back. I may even bring back a fresh load of citizens to help you out.”
Noah smiled. “I think you’ll find this place bigger and better than when you left it.”
At last Carl was finished. He noticed one person was conspicuously absent from the goodbyes. Did Shyanne find the parting too painful? He couldn’t blame her. Perhaps she was among the crowd and he couldn’t see her, although he doubted she would stay hidden.
Carl picked up his pack and fitted it over his shoulders. Now he was ready to set off for Bristol.
He began his trek down the dirt road.
“Mister Carl!”
Carl turned his head.
Shyanne was standing on the road, in between two rows of adults. They had quickly parted to allow her in.
“Come back soon!” she yelled.
Carl smiled. “Even if the whole Sun crashes into the Earth, it still won’t stop me from coming back here.”
Shyanne laughed amid her tears. She stayed there, not running toward him. She was giving him the okay to leave.
Carl backed up, waving to the crowd. They waved back and shouted their goodbyes and well wishes.
After a moment, Carl turned and started walking off. He listened to the remaining goodbyes until they faded out.
Soon Carl Mathers was a speck on the horizon. He was out in the world once again, all alone, ready to face whatever this dark world had to offer.
Then, at last, Carl was gone.
Chapter Twenty
Shyanne smoothed out the long dress as she gazed at herself in the mirror. The dress was made of soft blue cloth. Although buttoned up, the dress left enough room at the top to show off her white blouse underneath.
“So, what do you think?” Tara asked as she walked behind Shyanne.
Shyanne stepped backward, her head nearly bumping into Tara’s face. “Sorry,” she said with a giggle. “I like it, but doesn’t it feel too much like a prairie dress? I so want to wear jeans again!”
Tara laughed. “I wish I could help you, believe me, but we burned through our denim two years ago.” She placed her hands on her hips. She was wearing a pair of khakis that were slightly too small for her, mostly because she never had managed to return her frame back to the size it had been six years ago when they first became a part of East Creek. The curse of motherhood, Tara thought. Giving birth three times seemingly had enlarged her hips for good—not that Michael was complaining.
“Maybe a trader will show up and we can barter for some?” Shyanne smiled painfully. Even she knew a trader bearing jeans would be a long shot.
“I want chocolate candy!” called a small girl with red hair who walked into the living room. “Mom, will the trader bring us chocolate candy?”
Tara laughed. “Sweetie, I don’t know, unless they got a chocolate factory up and running again.” She turned to Shyanne. “It seems you’re filling your younger sister with stories again.”
“One of the older kids told Christie about chocolate. Christie’s never had it before, so I told her how good it was,” Shyanne replied.
Tara sighed. “Unfortunately, there’s a ton of things that we may never experience, so it’s not a good idea to rile up the kids who were born before The Event. Wait until they’re older, when they understand that some things are probably gone forever.”
Shyanne nodded. “Okay.”
Tara didn’t blame her adopted daughter for being talkative. She was eager to tell her sister and brothers about how life had been before “The Event,” as the people of East Creek had called it for the past few years. Tara even had encouraged Shyanne to talk about the past. As she grew older, inevitably her experiences before The Event would fade into memory. Tara figured that this life would be the new normal before long, and it would be their crazy world of gadgets and electronics that would be odd and strange. Kids who were born after The Event would not even know what they had missed. It was strange to think that Christie, Dylan and Michael Junior never would experience watching television, unless the technology to make televisions again was restored within their lifetimes.
She realized that she didn’t even miss air conditioning. Their house had been built with high walls and windows above to help circulate the air. After a while of getting used to it, Tara and Michael adapted well to a life without television, computers, or working cars. Instead, they grew their own food, pedaled around East Creek on bikes, read books, and played board games with their kids.
“Well, how about we show you off to Mister Preston and the Farrells?” Tara looked out the window. “The six-year anniversary celebration is about to begin.”
The six-year anniversary celebration marked when Adam’s Point survivors had become a part of East Creek. The party was held at, naturally, Alicia and Lorenzo’s house. The pa
ir had become one of the community’s social butterflies. Tara and Michael were grateful for the occasion, as it supplied their kids with another excuse to play with the Farrells’ three children.
Tara and Michael mingled with some of their old friends. Tara’s and Michael’s parents also attended, and soon Preston arrived as well. Tara gave him a hug as soon as he arrived through the door, with a handshake from Michael following. Tara took the occasion of the anniversary to note how much Preston had changed. The man never fully recovered from the smoke inhalation at Ben’s house six years ago. He tired out more quickly than he used to, and still used inhalers as much as he used to do. He eventually settled down into a manageable routine, but he had to eschew some heavy work jobs. Preston didn’t mind, and soon became one of the town’s foremost farmers. The years had taken some toll on the man, as much of his hair had thinned out, with some of his remaining hair turning white around his ears.
Alicia and Lorenzo, on the other hand, remained as they were, even with the three children they had. It turned out that Alicia had become pregnant around the same time Tara had—just shortly before they had moved to East Creek. To Tara’s embarrassment, she guessed she had been impregnated during her sudden “break” with Michael on the road shortly before The Event occurred. Alicia had her first baby just six months after moving into East Creek, Tara eight.
Tara was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the big shadow crossing beside her. Jumping up, she shouted, “Oh! Tommy! I didn’t see you there.”
Thomas smiled. “Sorry Mrs. T.” Smiling, Thomas passed by. Speaking of how things had changed, Tara realized that Thomas had grown very tall and muscular. Their new life likely had made him strong, but Tara suspected he was trying to compensate for his arm injury. His right arm remained weaker than his left, thanks to Ben’s gunshot. Matt, on the other hand, had grown tall but slimmed out. When Tara first had met Thomas and Matt, they seemed almost identical. Now it was ridiculously easy to tell the two brothers apart.
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