Chapter Twenty-One

Ryder and Evan join us for lunch. With them is a young man a couple of years older than me, with dark brown skin, close-cropped black hair, and light brown eyes. He’s as tall as Ryder, and even more muscular, probably from helping out on a farm. His eyes are friendly but wary as he sits down opposite from us and begins to dig into his lunch. Trey and Evan sit beside him, while our group is huddled around our side of the table.

“So, how’s the chicken coop coming?” Evan asks Trey.

“We didn’t get too many eggs today, but there’s a couple still laying. But with it getting colder and the snow here to stay, they’ll be done soon enough. And after lunch, we’re gonna head back out and start on the bedding. None of them have any good work boots, just their everyday ones, but we’ll see how it goes.”

“Think they can handle it?” Evan asks, smiling at us.

“Oh I’m sure they can,” Trey says, winking at Daisy again. “They’re a helpful bunch.”

She blushes and looks down into her chicken salad sandwich while we all try not to feel uncomfortable listening to the two of them flirting. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Daisy is seventeen, maybe even closer to eighteen. She gives off this aura of youth and innocence that’s really hard to overlook at times, but in reality she’s nearly a grown adult. Any of us has been through hell and being seen as a child is kind of an insult, but it’s hard with Daisy because it’s always so in our faces.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what is it you folks are doing out this way? You’re definitely not from around here,” Evan says, not unkindly.

We all look to Ryder to determine how much we should say. He finishes his sandwich and brushes crumbs back onto the plate to buy himself some time to think. When he’s ready, he clears his throat. “We’re actually on our way to Detroit.”

“Detroit?” Mary asks, eyes going wide. “Good heavens, boy! Why? Don’t you have any idea how dangerous that place is gonna be?”

Ryder nods. “Yes, we understand the dangers. But it’s something we have to do. I’d like to leave it at that for now.”

Evan shakes his head in bewilderment. “Your business is your business and I’ll try not to pry, but I hope for your sakes you have one hell of a plan. It’ll be damn near impossible to get in, let alone getting back out.”

“We know the dangers,” Ryder says confidently. “Not all of us will be going though.” He looks at Daisy and Hannah. “Those two will be staying at a nearby settlement, where they’ll be out of harm’s way and we won’t have to worry about them. The rest of us are a lot more capable than we look.”

“You look capable,” Anders says, casting a doubtful glance our way. “But some of you don’t, that’s for sure. I don’t know what your plans are, but you’d be much better off staying in the area and giving us a helping hand around the farm. Evan’s leg is getting worse, especially with the cold coming, and we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

“He’s right,” Evan says. “You’d be more than welcome to stay here and pitch in to earn your keep. We can make accommodations for you.”

“That’s very kind of you, but this is something we have to do,” Ryder says again. “We’ve come a very long way for this, and there’ll be no talking us out of it now. We’ll just rest here for the night, and be on our way first thing tomorrow.”

“If the weather permits,” Mary says quietly. “There’s a storm coming. I can feel it. There’s a good chance of us getting snowed in tonight. If that’s the case, you’d all be better off staying here for another day or two and getting some real rest. Braving the roads in that kind of condition would be suicide.”

I chew on a handful of dried apricots, savoring the delicious taste. I’m not sure how well we can trust Mary’s gut feeling about a storm coming, but if she’s right, it would be a disaster to try and leave in the middle of a blizzard. We could end up making it a mile or two and getting stuck somewhere with no heat or shelter to protect us from the elements. And I’m not okay with freezing to death just to get to Detroit a day or two sooner. The lab isn’t going anywhere, so we may as well take an extra day or two and get some real rest, like Mary said.

Ryder’s thinking the same thing. I can tell by the unhappy glint in his eyes. He wants to get us on the road and get this nightmare over with as soon as possible, and being delayed by a blizzard is not a part of his plans. But he can’t fight the weather, and we’ll just have to wait and see if Mary’s gut feeling is right, or if we’ll be able to leave bright and early tomorrow. I almost hope we end up getting snowed in, because a day or two of rest with some good people sounds like something we need, even though I don’t like the idea of being a burden to them.

Evan sighs. “Well, if Mary says it’s gonna storm tonight, then it’s gonna storm. You’ll have to hurry up and get that chicken coop cleaned out and the fresh bedding down so they’ll be warm out there. Be a little more generous with the bedding than normal just to be on the safe side. After you’re done, you all come on inside for some hot chocolate to warm up.”

“How’s the fence coming along?” Mary asks, changing the subject.

“It’s going good so far,” Evan says, smiling proudly at Ryder. “Turns out this city boy has got some farmer in him after all. He’s a good help.”

Ryder chuckles. “Thanks, but I’m not a city boy. We’re actually from Texas originally. We’ve got a little experience working on a farm, though it isn’t much.”

Evan’s eyes light up. “I’ve been to Texas back in my younger days. Wonderful place. I wish I could have gone back and seen it now.”

“When was the last time you were there?”

“Oh, let’s see. It was about thirty years or so ago, when I was just a young buck. Just graduated high school and wanted to get as far away as I could, but I wanted to be nice and warm, so down south it was. But I ended up only staying about a year or so before coming back home and helping with the family farm again. Still, it was a nice learning experience, and I got to get out and see someplace new, even if it seemed like it wasn’t for nearly long enough.”

“It never does,” Mary says, her face softening. “I ran away to New York after I graduated high school. Didn’t last long before I was broke and had to come home, but it was one hell of a fun time. Learned a lot about myself in those short few months.”

“We had been planning to do some traveling once we hit our golden years,” Evan says, “but my leg started to get worse and we decided to just stay home and make a life for ourselves. We got our exploring done in our younger days—we didn’t need to be too greedy. Figured we’d leave it up to you young folks.”

“Well we’ve certainly done a fair bit of traveling,” I say. “From Kentucky to Michigan, and from there to Colorado, and then on to Montana. Now we’re hoping to make it to Detroit and finally be able to settle down in peace.”

“What’s in Detroit?” Trey asks, glancing away from Daisy just long enough to skewer me with his piercing eyes.

“Our future,” Ryder says quickly. “If we can get there, it’ll change our lives for the better.”

Evan nods. “Well. Then I truly hope you all make it there safe and sound. We all deserve peace in these trying times. Hopefully the peace will give way to a miracle, and this nightmare can finally end.”

Ryder and I share a quick and discreet glance before returning to our food. It isn’t long until we’re all finished with lunch and forced to go back outside into the snow and finish our chores. Trey shows us how to muck out the chicken crap from the bottom of the coop, before stepping back and handing us the reins while he supervises. I’m a little annoyed by his actions, but it’s not like one more person is going to make that much of a difference when there are five of us already in here.

Instead of helping us, Daisy hangs out near the entrance of the coop and talks quietly with Trey. I wish I could hear what they’re saying, because their sudden and obvious interest in one another is starting to make me just a little bit uncomfortable. There’s nothing really wrong with falling in love at the end of the world—I fell in love with Ryder way too fast—but such a quick and intense infatuation with someone she doesn’t even know can only cause problems at some point down the road.

What’s she gonna be like when it’s time to leave and Trey can’t come with us? Her mind will be in the worst possible place it can be while we’re on the road. I hope she doesn’t end up getting hurt.

While we muck out the chicken crap, I wince every time my boots slide through it. I can see the others having the same problems as me, and I really hope I’ll be able to wash my boots off and have them dry before it’s time to leave. Because I am definitely not tracking chicken crap with me all over the place, and I don’t have any other boots to wear at the moment. I can’t help save the world in just a pair of crusty socks.

Some time later, we finally manage to muck out the last of the chicken crap. Trey takes over and puts out a fresh layer of bedding, enough to help keep the chickens warm during the snow filled nights. I feel bad that these animals will have to sleep outside during the middle of the winter, but I guess it’s not exactly practical to bring a small herd of chickens indoors with you, no matter how much you depend on them to survive. I know many animals are perfectly capable of adapting to harsh conditions, as they’ve done it for many, many years.

Trey leads us around to the back of the house and instructs us to wait. Daisy stares wistfully after him, and I almost smile. Even though I’m not sure if things will end well with this, I’m glad that Daisy is getting a chance to be happy, even if it’s only for a short while. We all deserve that happiness in some way or another—whether it comes from within, or from another person. Ryder and I have it, as do Todd and Madison. I like to think that Aaron and Reese both have their own form of happiness, but from time to time I wonder if they’re lonely without someone to love at the end of it all.

Trey comes back with a bucket of soapy water and a large bristled brush. He hands it to Reese. “Use this to scrape off your boots as best as you can. Mary says not to come inside until you’re clean, because if you track chicken shit across her kitchen floor, she’ll beat you with a wooden spoon. And believe me, she’ll enjoy it,” he says tightly, eyes narrowing just a bit.

“Got a personal experience with that, huh?” Todd asks, waiting behind Reese for his turn with the bristled brush.

“Sure do. Me and Anders both. Our first day here, we didn’t understand how they wanted things done. Evan wasn’t as clear as he should have been, which sucks because he knows how she can be, and Mary took it out on us. He didn’t do much to help us, just kinda hung back.”

I’m shocked. “Evan seems like such a friendly, helpful guy.”

“Oh, he is,” Trey says quickly, as if trying to assure us there’s nothing wrong with him. “He’s a little tough on us—especially in the beginning before we earned his respect—but he’s never been mean to us or nothin’. Its Mary you’ve gotta watch out for. She’s got that man broken, just like a horse. And he won’t admit it, but she’s the one that truly runs things around here. Just try to stay on her good side, not that she really has one.”

Aaron narrows his eyes, studying Trey intently. “They seemed pretty happy and lovey dovey at lunch earlier. She didn’t really strike me as the demanding bitch type. And Evan seems far too laid back for someone supposedly under the thumb of his wife.”

Trey shrugs his shoulders, as if he doesn’t really care for our conversation anymore. “Whatever you wanna believe, you go right ahead and believe it. But Anders and I have been here for awhile now, and we’ve seen the old lady in action. I think it probably got worse and worse as his leg started to go lame and he couldn’t do as much around here. I’ve heard her call him a lazy piece of shit once. But don’t worry, if you guys are here long enough, you won’t have to take my word for it. You’ll see she’s a monster before too long.”

Trey leaves us standing around the bucket of soapy water, and Daisy snatches the brush from Reese, dipping it quickly in the water and bringing it to the soles of her boots. “Trey, wait up!” She hurries to scrub herself clean, and when her boots aren’t covered in chicken crap anymore, she drops the brush back into the bucket, splashing us all with soapy shit water, and she runs after Trey as fast as her legs can carry her. We all wipe the shitty water from our coats with grimaces, and hurry to finish cleaning off our boots so we don’t have to stand around out here all day.

When we’re finished, we head around to the front of the house, just in time to hear Mary shouting at the top of her lungs. “What do you think you’re doing tracking shit into my clean house?” her voice rises with each word until she’s practically shrieking. “You young folks don’t give a damn about other people’s homes or property. You just come in and treat the place like your garbage can! Go back and wash your boots again, and don’t you even think of coming back until they’re clean!”

Daisy has tears in her eyes, and Todd bursts out laughing. “That’s what she gets for splashing us all with shit!”

Daisy ducks her head and walks around back to go wash her shoes again. But Mary’s head snaps around when she hears Todd’s laughter, and her eyes narrow. “Oh, you think her trying to track shit into my house is funny? Let’s take a look at your boots then.”

Todd stops laughing and I notice a faint blush in his cheeks as he meekly climbs the porch steps to face his inspection. Mary scours the bottom of his boots and scowls. “Yours are no better than hers!” she barks. “Go around back and clean them again, or you can sleep in the coop with the chickens tonight! Filthy boy!”

I almost laugh as Todd hangs his head in embarrassment and follows after Daisy, but one look at the stoniness in Mary’s eyes and I keep my lips sealed. Trey gives us a knowing glance before slipping into the house, and I bite the inside of my cheek, thinking about what he told us. I almost can’t believe how big the change in Mary is from lunch to now, but here she is, screaming at Daisy until she cries, and then Todd after her. How can someone have such a wildly varying personality?

Madison and Aaron both pass their inspection and are granted access to the house. As Reese takes his place on the porch, leaving me the next in line, I begin to panic that I might not have scrubbed hard enough to get all the way down into the grooves. I know I looked at them before I put the brush back, but that doesn’t stop me from freaking myself out and wondering if I missed a spot.

When Reese passes, I drag myself up the stairs and onto the porch, lifting my feet for Mary to inspect. She looks at them closely, nearly pressing her nose to the sole of my boot, and I half expect her to sniff it, looking for any traces of chicken crap left on them. But she just taps my boot and I set it down, presenting the other one to her without so much as a word in my defense. She scours it for any tiny trace of unwanted substance, before shooing me towards the door. Reese is waiting for me just inside the door, and when I reach him, I finally let out a breath I don’t even remember holding.

He pats me on the back. “That was brutal,” he says quietly. “I can’t believe she made Daisy cry like that. Over a little bit of chicken shit. It’s not like she was tracking a barn inside or anything.”

“I know,” I say just as quiet. “I thought Trey might have just been messing with us, but it looks like he was telling the honest truth. Only a psycho can go from lunch to that big of an extreme so fast. I wanna keep an eye on her while we’re here, just in case any of us screws up and she tries to punish us. No way in hell am I letting some hag beat anyone in our group with a wooden spoon.”

“I guess we owe Trey thanks for the heads up,” he admits, almost begrudgingly. I lift an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue, and he sighs. “I don’t trust that guy. He volunteered that information and saved our hides from Mary’s wrath, but the way he told us…he was too eager to point out how psycho she is. Something about him just doesn’t sit well with me. And I definitely don’t like his sudden interest in Daisy. I’m gonna keep an eye on him while you keep one on Mary.”

“Well, I’m definitely with you on the Daisy thing. They didn’t even get each other’s names before they were making heart eyes at one another. There’s no telling if he’s genuinely interested in her or if he’s planning on using her while she’s here and available. And she’s just naïve enough not to notice it.” Reese snorts, and I elbow him gently. “It takes a naïve person to recognize her kind of naiveté. You guys can stop teasing me about being naïve—I already know that I am.”

He puts his hands up in surrender, but he’s still smiling. “Okay, if you say so.”

I roll my eyes and head into the living room, where the others have gathered. Ryder pats the spot on the couch next to him and I plop down gratefully, letting him wrap his arm around me and pull me in closer. I watch the doorway, waiting for both Todd and Daisy to reappear. It’s getting dark out already, and I don’t want them alone out there for long, even if they’re on the property.

I rub my hands together, trying to bring some heat back to them. My nose is running and it burns now that I’m out of the cold, and I wish there was a fire going nearby. Ryder grabs a blanket off the back of the couch and wraps it around me, and I smile gratefully at him. It’ll have to do without a fireplace to build a fire. After being outside for so long, my skin feels numb. I’m just glad we’ve been doing a lot of physical labor that kept us warm instead of being motionless and freezing on the spot.

The others are getting bundled up as well, while Anders smiles and shakes his head. He’s sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, and there’s an open book in his lap. He’s busy hungrily scanning the pages, his eyes moving from left to right at an incredible speed. I watch him for a moment, trying to see what the title of the book is. I can’t make it out, but it’s a really thick book with what appears to be pictures scattered throughout chunks of text.

It almost looks like a textbook, like something a student would buy for their college classes. I’m pretty intrigued, but I don’t want to pry and ask what the subject is since I don’t know anything about Anders other than his name and the fact that he’s a farm hand for Evan. But my curiosity peaks when I see him whip out a notebook and begin jotting down notes along the pages, stopping every minute or so to scan the pages of his book and make sure he didn’t miss anything.

He flips the page of his text book, eyes flicking up and meeting mine. I feel my cheeks begin to turn red at having been caught staring, but he just offers me a friendly smile. “I was in school hoping to become a psychiatrist some day. I was taking mostly general classes and stuff since it was only my first year in school, but I found some books at a library in town and thought I may as well take them and give ‘em a look. It couldn’t hurt, right?”

Trey snorts, earning a glare from Anders. “Yeah, except you’re wasting your damn time. What’s the point of being a shrink if you’ve got nobody to shrink? You think people are just going to stumble across the farm seeking your professional advice?”

Anders frowns and goes back to the book in his lap. “You never know. Things might get better someday, and if that happens, the world might just need studious people like me. I’ll be able to help people cope, even if I’m not certified. I’ll still be better than nothing.”

I glance discreetly at Ryder as Trey begins to laugh. “Keep dreaming, bro! It ain’t gonna happen, and you and I both know it. You’re wasting your time. Things are only gonna get worse, not better. And even if they could get better, I’m not even sure that I’d want them too,” he mutters.

Anders glances up, eyes going wide. “What would make you say something so horrible?”

“How could anyone not want things to go back to normal?” Reese asks, narrowing his eyes. It looks like he’s already found another reason to mistrust Trey and justify wanting to keep a close eye on him. “I would think anyone would want things to get better. At least, anyone in their right mind…”

Trey shrugs, but he looks annoyed by Reese’s words, and I know I’m not the only one who notices. Anders and Ryder are both staring at him as if he’s just grown a second head, and I can feel Ryder tense up next to me. “I don’t know, man. I kinda like things how they are right now. Things are pretty peaceful in this area, and I’ve got a nice roof over my head for the first time in my life, along with three square meals a day and all the land to explore that I want. I’ve got no mandatory meetings with my probation officer, and I’ve got nobody looking down on me for my past. I’ve got a chance to start fresh and enjoy my life the way I’ve always wanted to.”

“So you’re okay with the deaths of billions of people as long as it gives you a clean slate?” Reese asks, clenching his hands at his sides. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t know those people,” Trey says, a sneer twisting his face into something ugly. “I like the setup I’ve got going for me here, and I’d be okay with things staying like this forever. Screw the old world, this new one suits me just fine.”

“You’re a psychopath,” Reese says firmly. “No doubt about it. You’re a god damn lunatic, and I want you to stay away from everyone in our group.”

Trey takes a step forward, putting himself almost chest to chest with Reese. He’s trying to look imposing, but he looks like a child compared to Reese, who doesn’t look fazed by Trey’s show of aggression. “You gonna make me?”

“If I have to,” Reese says tightly, crossing his arms over his chest to force Trey to take a step back. “I’m not someone you can intimidate, and the sooner you figure that out, the better things will be for you.”

“That sounds like a threat,” Trey says. The muscles in his arms are bulging, proof that he actually does work around Evan’s farm, but he still manages to look like a spoiled child standing in front of Reese. “And after we’ve been so kind and courteous to your group.”

“No, Evan and Mary have been kind and courteous to our group; you’ve done shit to our group except be an annoyance and badmouth your own hosts even though they’ve taken you in and given you this life you’re so happy to have.” Reese glances at Anders, who is watching the entire confrontation with a wary expression on his face. “He couldn’t wait to tell us what a monster Mary was, that she’s got Evan broken like a horse, and that she doesn’t even have a good side once you get to know her.”

“You’re full of shit,” Trey snorts, glancing down at Anders. “These people are just pissed that one of their girls has the hots for me.” He looks at Reese, and he nods. “I see. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You’ve got a hard-on for her and you’re upset I’m on your territory.”

Reese shakes his head slowly. He looks like he’s trying not to laugh but is failing miserably. “You’re a fucking joke, dude. Daisy and I hardly even like each other, let alone have anything deeper going on. I just don’t like your attitude, about anything. The countless dead people around the world, the people that have taken you in and given you a chance at surviving, my group, and yeah, that includes the creepy interest you have in Daisy as well. Such a sudden and intense interest with one another before you even learned each other’s names, and you’ve proven that you’re a snake that can’t be trusted. I want her safe, away from you, but that doesn’t mean I’m interested in her.”

Anders leaps to his feet and grabs Trey as he makes the first swing for Reese’s head. Reese dodges it easily, just leaning back and watching as Trey’s fist flies by. Anders is larger, and wraps his powerful arms around Trey’s chest, trying to hold him in place. But even his size isn’t going to help him too much with how angry Trey is right now. Reese just watches him struggle with a smirk on his face.

“What’s going on?” Mary shouts, startling all of us. Trey immediately stops fighting, but Anders isn’t stupid enough to let go of him. “I asked you what was going on in here.”

“Trey was trying to start shit with one of their people,” Anders says, pulling Trey away from Reese, who hasn’t budged an inch. It’s a good thing he still has a firm hold on Trey, because the moment the words leave his mouth, Trey flies into a vicious fury and tries to attack Anders.

Mary looks from Trey to Anders, and then her eyes flick to our group. “Is that what happened?” Her voice is cold and devoid of any real emotion, but I can see the fury in her eyes. I don’t think she’s necessarily mad at Trey for starting a fight with us, but more that he was so willing to start a fight inside her clean and orderly house. “Someone speak up before I toss you all outside to sleep with the cows tonight!”

“Yeah, that’s what happened,” Aaron says quickly. “He was saying some stuff we didn’t like to try and get a rise out of us. Things got a little heated, but we had it under control thanks to Anders.” He nods his head in appreciation, and Anders nods back. “We apologize for causing a disturbance. It won’t happen again.”

She looks around the room at all of us, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. “Don’t let me catch any of you fighting in this house, or you’ll be packing your bags so fast it’ll make your head spin. And that goes for you, too,” She says, eyeing Trey. She shakes her head in disgust and leaves the room.

The second she’s gone, Trey rips himself from Anders’ grasp and turns on him, eyes blazing and nostrils flaring. “What the fuck? You’re gonna take their side and not mine?”

“They didn’t start shit,” he says. “You did. And to be honest, I didn’t like the things you were saying any more than they did. You need some help, man. Honestly, if you ever wanna talk, I’ll listen.”

Trey laughs, and the sound is harsh like a whip. “You think I need to talk to a shrink?” Shaking his head, he heads for the door, grabbing his coat on the way.

“Where are you going? It’s getting dark out,” Anders says, his voice laced with concern even after Trey’s outburst. “It’s not safe to be out there alone at all, let alone when you can’t see and there’s a blizzard coming.”

“Fuck off and don’t worry about me,” he snarls. “I’ll be back soon enough, and I don’t want any of you fuckers here when I decide to come back.” He slams the front door, earning a disapproving shout from Mary on his way out.