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Our history teaches us about the fall of Rome and other societies that collapsed from their excesses. In each case, the vacuum was eventually filled by a competing or subjugated society. Our disaster is worldwide. There is no one waiting in the wings to rebuild from our demise.
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
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JUST AFTER DAWN, NICK stood at the window in the cafeteria watching the Garden Committee pull back the storm sheeting. The sun sent low rays through the trees lighting a half-drowned world. Puddles on the driveway flashed with sparkles from a gentle breeze. Rags of dark clouds were blowing away across the sky.
Pots banged in the kitchen amid quiet banter, but Nick had most of the cafeteria to himself. A stray thought of Jean whispered around his mind and clung. It would be nice to share a cup of coffee with her, but he knew she was sleeping. It had been a rough night for anxious people. She’d spent most of it handing out food, water and smiles. Soft footsteps drew his attention. Wisp was at the coffee urn, helping himself to a cup. It made Nick feel better to see him on his feet. He walked over with a firm step. Definitely stronger than he had been last night.
“Did the missing Rovers check in?” Wisp asked.
“Not last night. Martin’s still waiting on the relays. He’s hoping they’ll report in this morning.” Nick felt bad for Martin. It was always hard to lose men.
“If not, Angus will want us to go out.”
Nick nodded. “Hopefully Martin will be able to narrow the search area.”
“Is there a forecast?” Wisp asked.
“Clear for the morning. Probably the usual thunderstorm this afternoon. I don’t think there’s another of the super-cells cooking up yet.” He glanced at the sky to see a larger wedge of clear blue than earlier.
“We need to plan how we’re going after Ep. If we’re back to this kind of storm cycle, we’ll need to stay within a couple hours of safe haven.” Wisp pulled out a chair, carefully lowering himself into it with a stifled grunt.
Nick took the hint and joined him at the table. “Has he come any closer?”
“I haven’t checked.” Wisp tipped up his mug of coffee then glanced over to the urn.
“You can have a refill.”
Wisp shot him a mischievous look. “Who put you in charge?”
“You missed a couple servings while you were unconscious.”
Wisp chuckled but didn’t move from his seat.
Eunice peeked into the cafeteria from the kitchen door. “You two need to eat now?”
Nick walked over to the line, so he needn’t shout. “Nope. Just enjoying the quiet.”
“You wait a minute,” Eunice said raising a finger. She was back in a flash with a muffin in each hand. “Testing this out. I’d appreciate some feedback.” She handed one to Nick and walked over to offer the other to Wisp.
The little cake was warm and heavy in his hand. He sniffed it, but the smell didn’t tell him much. Wisp made a yummy noise. Nick took a small bite. Hot cherries burst on his tongue followed by a hint of mint and rosemary. “Very good,” he said with his mouth full.
“Not wheat?” Wisp asked.
“Mostly barley. We’ve got a lot coming in, and I wanted to test out a couple recipes before we were hip deep in it.”
“It’s a winner,” Nick assured her.
Eunice gave them a warm smile. “Thanks.” She ducked back into the kitchen.
“I could eat a dozen more of those,” Nick murmured.
Wisp shuffled back to the coffee urn. “Have another cup.” He turned to look out at the fields. The sun had cleared the clouds and was brightening the day. “Once we get away from here, I can check in on him again.”
“How are you feeling?” Nick asked as casually as he could although he knew Wisp would be able to sense his concern.
“Much better.”
A clatter of small feet preceded a herd of kids stampeding into the cafeteria. That was the end of the quiet time. As soon as a line formed trouble, broke out in shoving and angry words.
“They’re afraid,” Wisp said.
Nick knew what was causing the trouble, or maybe he should have said who. The same jumped-up troublemaker from before was standing in the doorway whispering to people. Nick started across the room, but a couple of men from the Watch beat him to it. They obviously were keeping an eye on him. Once the doorway was cleared, people poured into the cafeteria and mobbed the food line.
“Make a line,” Nick yelled, waving his arms to indicate where. “There’s plenty of food. Please make a line.”
Wisp and a couple men from the Divvy Committee came over to help herd people into some sort of order.
Eunice must have been working on perfecting the process because there were twice as many servers today. The food had been already assembled on trays. Each one had a big bowl of porridge, a small saucer of cherry preserves and a mug for coffee or tea. Nick felt nostalgic for the days of chatting down the food line as his plate was filled. There were too many people to get fed for that. Once the lines were set up, he and the others joined the servers handing out filled trays. There was an assembly line of workers in the kitchen setting them up. Once people had food in their hands, things got calmer.
When the line thinned out, Nick took a tray for himself and headed for Angus’s office. The cafeteria was a wall of noise, and he needed some quiet. He wasn’t surprised to see Wisp follow. Angus had his own tray on his desk and was discussing the cherry preserves with Tilly.
“Will you eat them separately or mix them into the porridge?” he asked as Nick settled in the discussion circle.
“Mixed.”
“Wisp?”
“Separate.” He sat next to Nick.
“What about you?” Nick asked.
“Oh separate, definitely. After all those years of Stew-goo and Crunch, I need as many different flavors as possible.”
Tilly nodded her agreement as she spooned up the last of her preserves. “What does the cafeteria look like?”
“Total chaos,” Nick grumbled. Then raised a hand to calm Tilly. “Sorry, I meant, too many people. Eunice has it all in hand. Went very quick. But we’ve still got a couple of jerks trying to stir up trouble.”
“How so? Angus asked.
“Spreading rumors there isn’t enough food. That kind of thing.”
“Why? There’s plenty of food right now,” Tilly said.
Nick didn’t like hearing that qualifier but chose not to call her on it.
“It’s a power issue,” Angus said softly. “Something we need to nip in the bud immediately.”
“How?” Nick asked. He was surprised by the porridge. It was more than just oats and very creamy. He wondered if they’d had a delivery from Creamery that he hadn’t heard about. It was also just a little salty, which made an amazing contrast to the sweet preserves. He made short work of it.
“People are scared,” Wisp said. He put his empty dishes on the tray to one side. “There’s nothing you can do until they learn to trust you.”
“That takes time,” Angus began, but Tilly cut him off.
“Not necessarily. A couple good meals, a hot shower and sleeping in a safe place can totally change a person. I could name a dozen people that started right in.”
“When we were smaller,” Angus said. “When we outnumbered the newcomers, and they could see how this place was run. Now we are flooded with refugees who can only see that they are surrounded by more of the same. This isn’t home for any of them yet. And for some, it might never be that.”
Martin entered, talking on his radio, but his smile was all the report Nick needed. “The shelters worked.”
“Excellent!” Angus said.
“We had one that lost an upright and partially collapsed, but no one was hurt. The relays got the warning out in plenty of time for people to take shelter. Some of the outposts have set up sirens, and they took in a couple of people for the storm.”
“How did they know what the siren meant?” Tilly asked.
Martin shrugged. “It was the outpost that set up in an old firehouse. It has a storm shelter. People were probably using it before.”
“That means that they understand our presence and are willing to use our services.” Angus chirped happily.
“I think our supplies interested a lot of people.”
“Good neighbors...” Angus said with a fond smile.
“What about the Rovers?” Nick asked.
Martin’s smile melted away. “No sign yet.”
“You want us to do a circuit?” Nick asked.
Angus glanced to Wisp. “Are you up for it?”
“It will give me a chance to check in on Ep.”
“You’re still set on going after him?” Martin asked.
“I have to,” Wisp said firmly.
An uneasy silence settled on the room until Angus broke it. “Will you be gone long?”
“I hope not,” Wisp said. “If I’m careful, I should be able to get in and out without too much trouble.”
“In and out of what?” Tilly asked. “How do you know where he is?”
“I don’t. But I can feel him strongly. I’ll be able to find him easily enough.”
“And once you get there...” Martin began.
“We’ll assess it,” Nick interjected. “Because I’m not going to let you go off alone.”
“No.” Angus shook his head. “We don’t want you to be alone Wisp. Please take anyone you need to make this trip fast and safe.”
Nick stood, ending a conversation that he wasn’t happy to continue. “First, we need to find those men.”