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Nick had fallen asleep at his desk sometime during the night. He woke with a stiff neck and a sour stomach to find that someone had left him two hard boiled eggs, a buttered roll, some dried apple rings and a thermos of coffee. He gave silent thanks to whichever of Tillie’s minions had left that gift before staggering into the small lavatory off his office to take care of pressing business. Then he splashed some water on his face to try to help him wake up. He’d managed to snatch a couple of hours of sleep, but he still needed a good eight to get back to normal. He took a quick peek into the silent warehouse checking for any crises before he sat down and devoured his breakfast. With a full stomach, the world looked a little better this morning.
Macon arrived looking cheerful. He held out a copy of the latest Bulletin. “Three more women awake.”
“Who?” Nick asked eagerly reaching for it.
“Eunice, thank the lord, and two ladies from the new farm.”
Nick was disappointed to see that Jean wasn’t one of them, but it gave him greater hope that she would awaken soon. “I’m going to go over and check on Jean,” he said.
“Surely,” Macon said on his way out to the warehouse.
There was a pile of work to get done, but Nick felt he needed to see her right now. But Desmond arrived blocking the doorway.
“You have to go,” Desmond said without preface.
“Go where?” Nick asked.
“Wisp too. You have to find the helpless ones. They will suffer. They might all die. He can’t see. It’s too clouded right now, but he knows you must go.”
Nick felt lucky that he hadn’t been the target of Peter’s prognostications earlier. Desmond delivered them verbatim which didn’t help to understand them. He also knew that there was always an eerie bit of truth about his predictions. “Where?”
“Not south, not west. You will know the place. It was hidden, but it will be revealed now. They are ready. They need help. They must survive for us to survive. You must go.”
“Right now I need to go look in on Jean,” Nick said. He tried unsuccessfully to shift Desmond out of the doorway. The man wasn’t all that large, but he could stand his ground like a hundred-year old oak.
“There is no need to worry about her. The women are changing. They will wake when they are done.”
Nick didn’t like the sound of that even if it was conjecture and cobwebs. “Changing how?”
“That too will be revealed in its own time. You have to go today. They are in peril and will not survive without us, but we cannot survive without them.”
“I’ll talk to Wisp,” Nick offered, hoping that would get the man out of the doorway.
“He understands. You will need to leave very soon.” Desmond made an about face and walked away. Nick had no intentions of chasing off on Peter’s say-so. He had given them some timely warnings over the winter about storms and stranded travelers, but Nick still had his doubts about his actual abilities. There had been some dire proclamations that had come to nothing.
Once Desmond moved away, Nick hurried off to see Jean. The school was busy with helpers and visitors. He checked the kitchen, glad to find Eunice in place. She was propped in an armchair in the corner of the kitchen, but she was still tossing out orders. Nick waved from the doorway.
“I don’t have time for visitors,” she said sternly.
Nick’s heart was lifted seeing her back where she belonged. “Do you need anything?” he asked.
“I’ve got plenty of hands. We’ll get it sorted out.”
“Good to hear.” Nick said in parting. He made his way down to the gym where Jean was sleeping. There seemed to be more cots than the day before. The aisles were narrower. More men hovered, whispering to the sleeping women. Two young men with a giant pot on a wheeled cart were dishing out bowls of broth. There was a line of helpers, men, boys and girls, taking the broth away to the sleepers. It felt surreal to Nick. This was not a scenario that they had ever foreseen.
Nick went to Jean’s bedside. She looked the same as every other time he’d been here. Lance was two beds over spoon feeding a woman Nick didn’t recognize. A hot rush of anger tightened his muscles. Lance was supposed to be taking care of Jean.
“Morning Nick,” Lance said amiably. “She’s already been fed.” He pointed to the bottom of the cot where a strip of fabric had been tied to the leg. “Pink for breakfast, blue for lunch and white for dinner. Eunice said we needed a system, so we didn’t miss somebody.”
“She’s very organized,” Nick said, feeling foolish.
“She’s a lifesaver,” Lance said with a faint smile. “We’ve got food, a system, and we can even take some breaks now.” His face got concerned. “Have you slept?”
“Yeah,” Nick said, ducking his head in embarrassment. “I just wanted to check on her before I got started.”
A flutter of movement caught his eye. A woman pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Where am I?”
“Another one,” Lance said with a hopeful grin.
Nick looked back down to Jean. She sighed in her sleep but didn’t stir.