by Eric Vall
“They couldn’t remember the exact year,” Betty said. “I’m sorry.”
“No problem,” I told her, and I looked behind her to see that the civilians, while maintaining their distance, were clearly interested in what we were doing. “I suppose it’s time to let everyone know what’s going on.”
“I think so,” Rolly agreed. “Everyone’s a bit antsy it seems. We told them everything was fine, but when you take off… well.”
“I understand,” I told him with a nod.
I took a deep breath and walked over to the porch and placed myself near the front door so that I was mostly in the middle of everyone gathered around. The girls made their way to the steps and took a seat as they looked up at me. I knew it was my responsibility to inform the people, but it was always a part of the job that I hated. I had never really cared to be in charge, that was why I hadn’t gone further up in the military to begin with, but these were my people, and I knew that they counted on me.
“I’m sure you all have picked up on the fact that there’s been an issue today,” I said sincerely, and I wiped some sweat from my brow.
“What’s going on?” Donna, the dark haired civilian woman, asked.
“The stream is a bit low,” I announced, and immediately the group was in an uproar with questions. Everything got jumbled together, but I heard things like ‘what does that mean?’ ‘are we out of water?’ ‘what are we going to do?’ etc.
I was about to shout to calm everyone down, but Anna let out a loud whistle and the small crowd grew silent.
“Thank you, Anna,” I told the redhead, and she nodded and sat back down before I turned to address the crowd again. “We have everything under control for the moment, and we’re working on a long term solution.”
“If the stream is low then will we have water for the crops?” Briar, an old grump of a man we’d all grown to love, asked.
“Right now the only thing we need to do is make sure that we’re rationing our water appropriately,” I said. “That doesn’t mean going thirsty or not using water to cook, it just means that we should maybe take less showers and make sure we’re not being wasteful with our usage.”
“How come we didn’t notice it going down?” Meredith, another civilian asked, and I saw Donna look down.
“This isn’t anybody’s fault,” I said quickly. “Nobody was told to look out for this, and most people have been doing the same jobs each day, which tends to make us complacent. Right now I’m going to advise that we all switch up our jobs for a while. I’m going to take over morning chores in the woods for the time being so that I can monitor the situation more closely, but I don’t want anyone to think that this could have been prevented, it’s just a new problem that has popped up, and we’re going to fix it.”
Donna looked up and gave me a small smile, but I made sure not to look at her for too long since I didn’t want to draw attention to her.
“What’s the long term solution?” Jenny, Betty’s redheaded granddaughter, asked with a small voice.
“We’re going to speak with Renee tomorrow,” I informed the group. “We’ll know more then, but right now what we do know is that the stream is consistent from fall through spring. So, if summer is the only season that we’ve got to worry about, then I have confidence we can make do.”
The group didn’t seem overly enthused, but I saw a couple of people nod their heads, and I figured that was a good start.
“I’m sorry I don’t have more information,” I said. “But right now this is what we know, and I’ll update everyone as soon as we know more tomorrow.”
“Is everyone done here for the day?” Betty asked, and the civilians nodded. “Why don’t we head back to campus, then, I’ll make us up something special for dinner?”
“Good idea, Betty,” I told the salt and pepper haired woman, then I turned back to the group with a smile. “And since we’re trying to save on water, I suggest everyone grab a drink once we get there.”
That got a few laughs out of the group, which made me feel a bit better about the way they’d taken the news. Nobody panicked too much, but I knew that they were scared still. While they had every reason to be, I wanted them to have confidence in themselves and our community that we would figure out a solution.
Everyone gathered up their water bottles and things then and began to retreat to their respective vehicles, but the girls and Rolly and Betty came over to me and gathered around in a tight circle.
“They’ll be fine,” Betty assured me. “We’re going to figure it out, so they have no reason to worry.”
“Thanks,” I told the older woman. “And thanks for offering to cook.”
“I’ll help,” Tara said.
“I’d appreciate that, dear,” Betty said with a smile.
“Cool, now let’s get home and get a drink,” Tara said with a playful grin. “Tav told us to after all.”
“You’re incorrigible,” Paige chuckled and rolled her eyes.
“If incorrigible means sober, then you’re right,” the platinum blonde retorted. “But I’m trying to fix that.”
“Oh my God,” Anna laughed and shoved the platinum blonde playfully toward the stairs. “Let’s go.”
We all made our way to the trucks then and hopped in. It was mid afternoon by that time, though, and I could feel that the air was beginning to cool off. It was still quite warm out, but it wasn’t even as hot as it had been on the truck ride over just twenty minutes or so before.
The breeze felt good on my face as we sped down the highway toward campus. Once we pulled into the driveway we had plenty of shade to keep us cool, at least for a few minutes.
After we arrived, it didn’t take long for everyone to settle down for the evening. They’d put in a long day’s work already, and all the chores around campus and at the farm were completed, so they deserved to rest.
Booze was pulled out and passed around while Betty built up a fire, and she and Tara began to cook something that smelled absolutely delicious. I personally found an opened bottle of bourbon and poured myself a glass, then I found a seat in the grass near the library.
The courtyard was overrun with people, some were at the tables we used to eat outdoors now that it was warm outside. Others were by the fire pit or in the grass, and the children and Winchester were right in the middle playing.
I did a quick check and found all the girls, including Kimmy, gathered over by the fire with Tara and Betty. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they giggled and threw their heads back with laughter, so I figured they were having a good time.
I leaned back in the grass and sipped on my bourbon, but after a while, I began to hear voices that came from the side of the library.
“Do you think it’s our fault?” a female voice asked in a near whisper, and I narrowed my eyes as I tried to place it.
“I don’t know,” a male voice answered. “But we’re screwed if the water runs out.”
“Everything was running so smoothly,” the female spoke again, and this time I recognized it as Donna, which meant that the male had to be Jeff.
“We’ll be okay,” Jeff comforted Donna. “I’m sure it will get figured out, it always does.”
“I know,” Donna sighed. “I’m just scared is all. We’ve grown so comfortable here, I don’t know what I’d do if we had to leave.”
“We’ll be together no matter what,” Jeff said, and then the voices began to trail off as the two must have walked away.
I shut my eyes then and took a deep breath. Hearing them say that just absolutely broke me. I never wanted the civilians under my protection to feel lost like that, to feel as though they were in any danger with me in charge. I refused to become the evil dictator I’d just taken down, and that meant not allowing my citizens to live in fear.
I had to figure out a way to fix this, and fast. I couldn’t let my community be torn apart from fear and questioning. These people needed guidance, and they needed answers. They were my responsibility, and
I would protect them at all costs.
Chapter 3
The next morning I woke to all the girls around me and Winchester at my feet. It was still slightly dark out when I looked through the window, so I figured I’d allow the girls to sleep a bit longer. They were used to getting up at dawn anyway, so they’d probably wake up soon on their own. In the meantime I was going to go get the chores done in the woods for the day.
I was antsy to get things started, especially after the conversation I’d overheard the night before. Though most of the civilians seemed perfectly fine, I knew that at least a few were quite concerned with the situation at hand, and I wanted to get things moving for the day so that I could get them, and myself, some answers. We needed to go speak with Renee and see about getting some more fuel if we were going to be hauling water, and the trip over there would take at least an hour or so.
I sat up and stretched, and Winchester stretched, too, and he let out a loud doggy yawn, so I put my fingers over my mouth to quiet him, but all he did was come up and lick my face.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Let’s go outside.”
The black headed dog wagged his tail and went to sit by the door to the room while I stood up and quickly got dressed. I threw on a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a loose fitting gray tank top, then I made sure I had my pistol and an extra magazine before I slipped my boots on and headed to the door.
Winchester and I made our way quietly downstairs, but as we approached the living room I heard the distinct sound of someone shushing a child.
I came onto the landing to see Kimmy in the living room with baby Anthony in her arms. Her long, curly hair was down and it hung just past her shoulder blades. She wore a pair of denim shorts, a pink tank top, and a pair of black socks.
“Hey,” I whispered as I approached, and she turned around to face me.
“Oh, hey,” she breathed. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come down.”
“It’s okay,” I said quietly, and I looked at baby Anthony in her arms. “What’s going on?”
The baby didn’t appear fussy at all, or as if he’d been crying, and I wondered why she was down here shushing him.
“Oh, he’s just up and awake,” Kimmy sighed. “He wants to play and be loud, but everyone else is sleeping, so now he’s mad that I won’t let him be loud.”
Winchester whined then, and I looked over to see him sitting by the front door.
“Right,” I said, and I walked over and opened the door for the black headed dog, then I turned back to Kimmy.
“Did you come down here just to let him out?” she asked.
“Oh, no,” I said. “I was going to head out and do the morning chores in the woods.”
“Oh,” Kimmy said, and her eyes widened a little bit. “Do you think we could join you? I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” I told her with a smile. “Do you need me to grab anything for you?”
“I don’t think so,” the dark skinned woman said. “His backpack is by the door, but would you hold him while I put my shoes on?”
“Of course,” I said, and Kimmy handed me the baby with a quick ‘thanks’ before she grabbed her sneakers from by the door and started to put them on.
“Hey, buddy,” I cooed to the baby, and he squealed slightly and reached for my beard. It was amazing how much he’d grown since we brought him here just before winter. He seemed much less fragile now than when I had first met him, and he had grown to be playful and quite plump. His little cheeks were full and his arms and legs had visible rolls on them, which only made him that much cuter.
“You see what I mean,” Kimmy chuckled.
“At least he’s a happy baby,” I said with a smile.
“That’s true,” she said, and she strapped the backpack on and walked over to me. “Would you put him in?”
“Sure,” I said, and I wiggled his little body into the straps.
After I was done, he reached for my beard again and let out another squeal of happiness.
“I’m ready,” Kimmy said, and she turned to look at me with soft, brown eyes. “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” I chuckled, and I started toward the door. “But to be fair, there’s worse ways to be woken up than a happy baby wanting to play.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” Kimmy sighed once we were outside. “I just don’t want anyone to feel like he’s a burden or anything. I know babies can be a lot to deal with, and I wouldn’t want anyone to be upset that he was here.”
“I don’t think anyone feels that way,” I told her with a frown. “You shouldn’t, either.”
“Thanks,” she said, and she gave me a sweet smile.
The morning smelled like fresh dew, and since it wasn’t quite light out yet, it was still decently cool. The air felt good on my skin, and even though it sent a slight shiver through me at first, after a moment my body adjusted and I was rather comfortable.
Winchester ran over to us and sniffed at baby Anthony’s feet.
“Hey, boy,” I greeted the dog, and Anthony laughed when Winchester licked his foot.
We headed into the woods, and I made my way to the river first since the rabbit traps were further to the right of campus and it would be easier to make a circle of sorts. Besides, I was eager to see what the water level looked like today.
Winchester decided to walk with us, but he ran around and did his own thing, so I didn’t pay too much attention to him as long as I could find him every few minutes or so.
As we walked, I wondered if Kimmy had done the morning chores before or not. A lot of the time she was left in charge of the children or she volunteered to do things around campus, but we tried to make things as easy on her as possible. She already had an infant to care for, I didn’t want to give her too much more to do besides that.
“I haven’t been out here too much,” Kimmy said, answering the question I had just asked in my head. “It’s really beautiful.”
“It’s nice,” I agreed. “Especially in the morning.”
“I think he likes it,” she said with a gesture at her backpack, and I glanced behind her to see baby Anthony looking around at the wildlife around him.
“I think he does,” I chuckled.
“It settled him down fairly quickly,” Kimmy laughed. “Maybe I’ll join you every morning.”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” I told her with a smile.
She and I had kissed, and it was clear that there was something between us, but she moved slowly, and I never wanted to push her into anything, so I allowed her to make the first move. Still, there was nothing that I wanted to do more than to just grab her by the hips and pull her lips to mine.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the stream and the trot lines. Before I checked the lines though, I took another look at the water.
I grabbed a stick and shoved it into the water until it hit the dirt underneath and seemed sturdy enough to not get swept away, then I took my knife and cut the bottom seam from my tank top so I could tie it around the stick to mark where the line was. I’d need to mark it each day, so I cut the fabric into little strips, just long enough to tie around. I tied the first one in its correct place, then put the rest into my pocket.
“It really is low,” Kimmy said in a small voice to my left.
“It is,” I agreed as I stood up.
“It’s definitely lower than the last time I saw it,” she said. “Granted, that was a while ago, though.”
“I can’t be sure when it started to drop,” I said. “But we’ll just have to deal with it as it is now.”
“Have you thought about what will happen if it runs dry?” Kimmy asked, and she looked at me with dark brown eyes full of concern.
“I have,” I told her with a nod. “But that’s why we’re going to Renee’s today. We’re going to talk to her about some options, including fuel to haul water from the creek to the farm.”
“That makes sense,” Kimmy agreed. “That way we can kee
p using the stream for the dorms without having to water the crops from it, too.”
“Exactly,” I said with a smile. That was one of the reasons I liked Kimmy so much, not only was she absolutely beautiful, but she was incredibly intelligent as well.
“Oh,” the dark skinned woman said, and she held up her hand as if she’d just remembered something. “I have another CB radio ready for the refinery if you want to take that to Renee. I figured since we moved the other one to the fort that the refinery should have one, too.”
“Good idea,” I agreed.
We were new to the whole radio communication thing, and I’d nearly forgotten we had one. We probably could have used it to connect with Renee, but if anybody else was out there and able to listen in then I didn’t want to give away our location. Besides, I was somewhat old school when it came to technology, and I’d rather meet with her face to face, especially to discuss a deal.
“You’re going to the fort though, right?” Kimmy asked, and she bit her lip. “Do you think if you drop it off that they’ll be able to set it up at the refinery on their own?”
“I think they’re probably smart enough to manage,” I chuckled. “But if you want to come along and leave them with some directions I’m sure that would be appreciated.”
“Okay,” Kimmy agreed with a smile. “That will give me a chance to make sure the one at the fort is running properly as well.”
“I have no doubt that it is,” I told her, and she blushed slightly and looked down.
I gathered the trout from the lines. There were only two, but I still reset the lines and tacked the fish onto a stick I found nearby. After that, I led Kimmy over to our left toward where the rabbit traps were right then. I’d had to ask Joe and Dan since they were the ones who had moved the traps most recently, but they’d done a good job of describing the locations to me, and I had confidence that it wouldn’t take long to find them.
Soon enough I heard the sound of a rabbit in distress and headed toward it. Once I reached the clearing and saw the little brown creature, I realized that Kimmy was right beside me.
