Meghan sat alone at the table. She was getting tired of the canned and freeze-dried food, and she began to salivate over the thought of fresh vegetables that would hopefully be ready to harvest in a couple months. Finally, Kristen came into the room, towing another young lady behind her. She was pale and thin like most everyone else, but she still had a sense of beauty about her and an almost regal posture. Meghan strained her foggy mind, knowing she had seen the girl around but couldn’t come up with a name.
“Hi, Meghan,” Kristen said as she sat down, smiling for the first time in months. “Remember Amy Wittenburg?”
They exchanged the usual pleasantries and then Meghan realized that she knew her from school, as Amy had been only two grades behind them. If she remembered right, Amy’s mom, a single parent, had died of cancer during Meghan’s Senior year; she thought back to the huge spaghetti dinner and bingo fundraisers they had held at the school to help raise money for medical expenses. Wow, it made her crave spaghetti and regret the days when they threw away leftovers.
“How are your brothers?” Meghan asked, remembering that they were older and Amy had been able to live with them after her mom’s death.
“Johnny’s pretty good, I guess,” Amy replied as she picked up the peas and rice with her fingers to eat. A small cube of reconstituted chicken went down next. “He’s working on the Security Team. But Sam...he’s...gone.”
“Gone?” Meghan wondered where a body might travel these days.
Kristen cleared her throat and Amy fidgeted, then shot Meghan a sad smile. “Gone...like deceased.”
Meghan drew back. “I’m so sorry, Amy. I thought...I mean, never mind.” She lifted her bowl to her lips to avoid looking at Amy.
“It’s okay. Seems like we should be getting used to losing people these days.”
An uncomfortable silence followed until Meghan asked, “He worked at the fish hatchery, right?”
“Yeah.” Amy pushed a strand of hair away from her face and pulled more chicken out of her bowl. “He was there when the electricity went out. Lost most of the fry and juveniles in the first few days. He brought some home for us to eat, but.... But then one day he walked up there to get us a few more and he never came home. Johnny and a couple neighbors went looking for him, but he must have been there when it was raided. The place was shot up pretty bad and every last fish was gone. Johnny brought ‘im home so we could bury him.” She paused. “Just the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess.”
Meghan gathered her bowl and water bottle. “Well, let me know if I can help in any way. It was nice to see you again.” She stood. “I have to get back to work now. I’m on Medical.”
“Hey, wait!” Kristen stopped her. “I’ve been waiting to tell you my news. I got a promotion!”
“Nice!” Meghan said. “I...don’t really know what that means, but congratulations!”
“Well, I’ll tell you if you give me two seconds of your attention,” Kristen dramatized a hurt look complete with pout and head tilt.
“Okay,” Meghan chuckled quietly. “Tell me.” She sat back down, perching on the edge of the seat to indicate that she couldn’t stay long.
“Mr. Andrews said that I’m doing such a great job on the Food Team that I can be a bigger help at his complex! He wants me to be in charge of inventory and meal planning!” She gestured for them to lean in closer. Kristen whispered, “I heard he has a mansion around here somewhere, and he’s all set up to live comfortably. He supposedly even has electricity and running water and all that.” She sat back. “Is that awesome, or what? I never thought I’d be in charge of anything!”
Kristen seemed happy, but Meghan felt apprehensive. “Kristen, are you sure you trust him? He has done some terrible things to people around here.”
“Well, he does what he has to do in order to keep us all alive. One on one he’s pretty nice. And anyhow, I know him from working at the restaurant.” Kristen sounded a little defensive, and Meghan felt bad for raining on her parade.
“I’m sorry. If you’re happy, I’m happy,” Meghan said. “So, I won’t get to see you at lunch anymore, I assume?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about that. I guess I thought that I would be coming into town with him in the mornings, but then they wouldn’t have me training Amy to do my job here,” Kristen said with a frown. “Hmm. Well, I guess we just wait and see. I’ll try to get here when I can because I still want to see you guys.”
Meghan hugged Kristen quickly and stood up. “Gotta go. Good luck with everything, Kris. You too, Amy. Make sure she trains you right!” she teased.
As Meghan signed out and made her way down the steps to the main entrance, Beth Ann was coming up. They hugged at the midway point.
“I just had the most interesting lunch in recent history!” Meghan winked at Beth Ann’s quizzical look. “Go chat with Kristen and you’ll see....” The deputy at the top of the stairs cleared his throat and Meghan let Beth Ann go. The whole way to the clinic, she tried to ignore the dark niggling in the back of her brain.
***
After the meal, Beth Ann walked back to the Greenhouses with Mrs. Lowell. Even though she wasn’t alone, she kept a vigilant watch of her surroundings. If Travis ever made his approach, or any other man for that matter, she wanted as much notice and distance as possible.
Mary Jo didn’t talk much, so the short walk gave Beth Ann a few minutes to digest the shocking news. Kristen was moving in with Mr. Andrews? And Travis and the other two men? Beth Ann had warned Kristen about Travis. Were there any other women who lived there? Kristen didn’t know the answer to that, but she seemed to trust Andrews. She really hadn’t been the same since her family and boyfriend had been killed in front of her. And at the infirmary when she had told Meghan and Beth Ann about what was happening with the Deputies, she seemed emotionally unaffected. A piece of Kristen had died, and in that empty hole is where she put the men. She wasn’t a virgin, so the sex didn’t matter, she had said.
“I’m going to stop at the shed first and get more flats. See ya over at Presby,” Mary Jo said, bringing Beth Ann back to the present with a jolt. She nodded. There were four Greenhouses, and after a little time each one had taken on a nickname to tell them apart. “Presby” was, obviously, the one built against the south-facing river rock wall of the sole Presbyterian Church in town. The biggest one was “Main,” and the two smallest ones were “West” and “North.” Apparently, literary creativity was not required for working on the Greenhouse Team.
The plants were growing nicely and it was time to separate them. Within the next week or two, Jack, Dan and some of the other Team members would be preparing land in town for planting. The danger of frost wouldn’t be over until the end of May, but there were a few hardy vegetables that could be planted early. Beth Ann had volunteered to turn her front yard into a garden, and she felt something close to happy for the first time in months. She would be home in the mornings to weed, water, and whatever else needed done, and Gary would be home, too. The plan they had discussed was for Gary to work out a transfer from the Hunting Team to the Garden Team so they could work together.
Beth Ann was rounding the back corner of the church when suddenly something stung her ankle. She cried out, more in surprise than pain. Stopping to take a look, she bent over but only found a little dirty spot on her lower leg. Rubbing it, she looked around. A piece of limestone bounced in front of her a couple times and rolled to a stop; she froze and drew in a breath. Another rock bounced, this one farther in front of her. She followed the trajectory with her eyes and noticed the basement door into the church slightly ajar. Due to the large stones the wall was made from, the door was inset almost a foot, and so it sat in a deep shadow.
Beth Ann didn’t know whether to run or to find out what was going on, but her curiosity won. This wasn’t Travis’ style, so she felt confident that she didn’t have to worry about him. Plus, Mrs. Lowell would arrive any minute. She crept closer to the door, tightly gripping the gun inside her work apron pocket. The door opened a little wider and she saw part of a face; it was Gary. Glancing around to make sure no one saw her, she hurried into the shallow alcove and Gary pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her.
The instant darkness made Beth Ann’s heart stop, then start again at double its usual pace. “Gary?” she whispered, hoping that she had correctly identified the partial face in the doorway.
“I’m here. It’s okay. Just me,” Gary said in a reassuring tone. Beth Ann had confessed her fear of the dark to him when she had moved into his basement. “Give it a minute. There are some block windows down here and your eyes will adjust.”
“I don’t have a minute. Mary Jo is coming back soon and she is going to expect to find me in the Greenhouse,” Beth Ann fretted.
“Listen fast then. I’m supposedly on a bathroom break, and I have already been gone too long,” Gary said. He talked as fast as Beth Ann could listen. “Hank had to take my transfer request to Mr. Andrews, which is why it’s taken a couple of days. Andrews approved it, but apparently the groups had already been set for the next Hunting Team assignment and I can’t transfer until I get back.”
Beth Ann felt the breath go out of her, but she tried to be brave. “How long?”
In the darkness there was no response. Beth Ann could now see the vague silhouette of Gary’s scraggly hair and she heard him sigh. “Could be a couple weeks.”
“A couple weeks!” Beth Ann shouted, forgetting to be quiet. “Where are you hunting, Canada?”
“Shhh! There’s a lot I haven’t told you, and I don’t have time now. The short version is...there’s literally nothing left to hunt and our assignment has changed. We’re now mapping the region–who is still alive, which houses are occupied, and...other data. On this trip we’re headed up past Warren to the reservoir.”
Beth Ann took a deep breath. If she could just make it through the next two weeks...everything would be fine after that. Then a new thought struck her. “What about the bands of raiders?”
His hesitation spoke volumes. There was obviously something he wasn’t telling her. Finally he answered. “Don’t worry. Deputies are being assigned to go with us for security. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”
“Okay. You better!” Beth Ann said, trying to sound brave.
“There’s one more thing,” Gary said. “Remember the place where I took you and Linda several times for target practice?”
Beth Ann nodded, even though he couldn’t see her in the darkness.
“On the other side of the ridge of shale we were shooting into, head towards the sound of the stream, and you will come across an old iron furnace; it looks like something in between a skinny pyramid and an ancient ruin. Take the tub that the meat was buried in and pack it with anything that might be useful if you had to live there for a couple weeks. Blankets, clothes, the MREs, ammunition, anything you think should be there.”
Beth Ann flinched when he said “MRE,” but she forced herself to pay attention. He was saying something now about the old fishing rod in her dad’s garage that the deputies had left behind.
He continued. “Whatever you think. Cover the stuff with leaves or hide it somehow. Sneak everything out there a little at a time as you are able and don’t get caught! Take different routes so you don’t wear a noticeable path through the brush. If someone gives you a hard time before I get back, go there and stay. I will look for you there if you’re not at home. Got it?”
Beth Ann fought nausea as her heart rate continued to rise. “But why can’t we go get that boat we found and escape...down river?” It made perfect sense to her; they needed to run away.
Gary took her by the shoulders. “It’s not safe! We can’t just float down the middle of the river in plain sight. We don’t have any stored food, there’s no game left in the woods, and if this little problem we’re having involves a larger part of the country like Mr. Andrews says, there’s honestly nowhere safe to—”
He stopped when the muffled sound of Mary Jo’s calls reached them.
“Please, Beth Ann! You gotta trust me!” Gary begged.
“Yes. I will. Be safe!” Beth Ann gulped down a sob as she broke free from his grasp and turned quickly to leave.
“You, too. And keep praying, Beth Ann. Don’t stop praying, no matter what,” Gary admonished with a strange urgency in his voice.
She stuck her fingers into the corners of her eyes and squeezed the tear ducts, willing them to plug and stay plugged. Cracking the door open, she waited until Mary Jo’s back was turned to step out into the sunlight. She took a deep breath and joined her in the greenhouse.
***
Gary watched Beth Ann’s silhouette slip through the blinding light like it was a door into another dimension. Then it was dark again and he fumbled his way to a side door that was not in sight of the greenhouses. He hadn’t lied to Beth Ann, he had just withheld the part about trying to find the bad guys. He felt physically sick, being forced to leave when he wanted to stay. But Beth Ann was going to have to be strong and find out what her womanhood was made of. The luxury of someone else taking care of her while she shopped and talked on the phone with her friends was gone. It was time to grow up...for everyone. And at a dear price.
Hurrying back to the Hunting Team garage, he didn’t have to fake the gastric distress. He rubbed his abdomen as he apologized to Mr. Groves for taking so long. With a grunt Hank gestured to Gary’s pack and gear lying on the floor and told him to join the group outside and make sure he shut the door on his way out.
Gary was still breathing heavily when he made it to the picnic table where the Team had gathered to take advantage of the late afternoon light. Around the table were five other men: three Hunting Team members and two Deputies. The Deputies had been assigned to help with security, but Gary wasn’t sure what two young guys would be able to do against a band of men willing to kill for even just the possibility that they might have food in their packs.
Hank had the area map spread out and was just starting to review the route they would take on this assignment. The Teams were broken up to make a pattern like a search grid, with one Team doing East-West stints, and Gary’s Team covering North-South pathways. For this first trip, and Gary hoped his last, they would follow the western perimeter of the forest along the Allegheny River up to the Warren area, then return home on a parallel track slightly to the east. Along the way they would document any sign of life–animal or human. Andrews claimed to be trying to find the looters’ home base, but Gary wondered why all the households and communities needed to be documented. They were to stay hidden and observe, not engage unless confronted, but the spying still felt like...spying. He wondered what Andrews was up to now.
Gary sighed, not realizing it was out loud until all the eyes around the table turned to him. He just lifted his eyebrows. Finally, Hank cleared his throat and continued.
“So, while you’re here near this bend in the river,” Hank said, pinpointing the spot with the tip of his pencil, “you can sneak two men into Warren to check things out there. Don’t use any of the bridges; you’ll just be sitting ducks if anyone’s watchin’ them. But here, with this series of small islands breaking up the deeper water, it’s shallow enough to wade across and hopefully the ‘bad guys’ won’t know that. Although, with the Kinzua Dam not operational, it may be too deep to cross on foot.” Hank looked up from the map. “You gotta watch out, because the closer you get to Warren, the more houses and roads there’ll be. Take your time and don’t get killed,” he admonished in his rough, gravelly voice, emphasizing his point by stabbing the pencil onto the map with each word.
When they finally had the route worked out and the instructions and division of duties agreed upon, the men folded up the map and checked their gear one last time. For this mission they had been given extra guns and food supplies. Evening was approaching and they would leave soon, traveling mostly in the dusk and dawn hours. It wasn’t safe to travel in the daytime except in the most remote areas, but since they were scouting, they would need light to see. In addition, they could not travel at night because any light they used at all would be seen.
As they headed into the tree line, the raggle taggle band of “scouts” heard Hank call after them, “If you see my scruffy brother Pete in the city, tell him to give me a damn call sometime!” The phlegmy cough haunted them for miles.
***
“You all ready, miss?” Travis asked the girl Andrews called ‘Kristen.’
“Ah, sure. Not much to get ready, dude,” she returned. He felt irritated at first. Here he was, picking her up in one of the only running vehicles in town, and using his good manners to boot. She could at least show some gratitude.
The thin, dark-haired girl with the sad eyes and perfect lips tossed a single bag into the back of the pickup truck, then stood looking at him with her hands on her hips. When he didn’t do anything, she said sarcastically, “Hello? Are you ready?”
He stifled a smile; he liked a girl with a little sass. Opening the passenger side door, he bowed with a flourish while she climbed into the seat. He walked around the truck and got behind the wheel, turning the key to bring the old engine to life. As the truck lurched forward, he noticed Kristen waving to the family gathered on the porch.
She turned to him then. “Isn’t...um...Mr. Andrews coming with us?” She didn’t seem quite as cocky now. Maybe she was a little nervous after all.
“He’s comin’,” Travis replied in his customary drawl. “He had to finish a couple things and we are going to pick him up on our way.”
She nodded her head but didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes as she looked out the window. Travis, too, watched the blocks of the run-down and overgrown town go by and was glad he didn’t have to volley small talk.
Andrews was ready when they arrived at the municipal building, and he greeted Kristen warmly. Travis was impressed by the act, but then Mr. Andrews was a smart and powerful man. And Travis knew that you didn’t get to be smart and powerful without developing some acting skills along the way.
Kristen climbed into the small passenger space behind the front seats in the cab, leaning forward on her elbows so she could make conversation. Travis hoped that she would not remember Mike and Charlie; they had been given late assignments in town for a reason. But she didn’t. Instead, she pestered Andrews with questions about her new duties and declared her passion and commitment to doing the best possible job that she could. Travis caught Andrews’ eye and saw the twinkle in it. She sounded like the perfect candidate.
They stopped briefly at the roadblock for Mr. Andrews to get a quick report from the deputies on watch, then they were moving again...for about three minutes. When they were well out of sight and ear-shot of the road block, Travis put the truck in park and Andrews pulled a burlap sack out from under his seat. He twisted to face Kristen and said in a deeply apologetic tone, “I hate to ask you this, Miss Kyser, but would you mind putting this over your head and lying down back there?”
Travis could see the confused look on Kristen’s face in his rear-view mirror.
“It’s just that I need to keep the location of my house a secret. Nothing personal.” He held the sack out.
“Oh, I won’t tell anyone, I promise!” she said quickly. “I’m practically lost already! I can’t remember my way around...even in the mall!” Her little chuckle came out unnaturally high-pitched.
“Is that so?” Mr. Andrews queried. “I see. Well, unfortunately, I still need you to put this on.”
She hesitated, not making any indication that she was going to take the sack from Andrews’ hand. He finally got impatient. “Kristen, would you prefer the easy way or the hard way?”
Travis waited, not sure if he was going to need to intervene. He watched as Kristen narrowed her eyes and slowly took the sack. She huffed and muttered as she put her head in it and lay down out of sight.
“Thank you,” Mr. Andrews said. “I do hope you understand.” Kristen didn’t answer him, and she didn’t say another word the entire way to his home.
The truck bounced up the long drive as Travis navigated the steep hill slowly. He passed the entrance to the five-thousand-square-foot log home and drove a little farther to a barn where he parked. Travis jumped out and pulled the carriage-style doors closed while Andrews helped Kristen out of the truck.
Mr. Andrews gently removed the sack from her head and smiled. “We’re home. And your training will begin as soon as we show you your new room.” Kristen looked back and forth between the two men, the fear in her face evident. Travis nodded at his boss, confident that this girl would catch on quickly.