Renewal 8 - War Council Page 2

  We ate, and it was incredible. For the pork sausage alone, I would have traded my entire pre-Breakdown video game collection. There was no maple syrup for the pancakes, but Sally had brought Mason jars of strawberry jam and sliced peaches to the table, and there was never a sweeter candy than that sugary fruit after a starving winter.

  “So Sally, how long have you lived out here alone?” Mom asked with the tone that indicated that a woman living alone in the woods seemed pretty crazy. “My husband, Fred, and me came out here when I was eighteen. He was older than me, and my mama didn’t like him much, so we came out from Nashville to make a new life. It was right before The Big War and we got this land for next to nothing. Paid cash, stood in the middle of the woods and said, “Yep. This is the place.” Took us all summer to build the first part of the house, and almost three years to clear enough forest to grow our food. Back then, you could make a decent living growing food.”

  Sally stopped for a moment and collected her thoughts. “Anyway, Fred died in 1985. No reason in particular, I guess. He was just old. So, I’ve been out here ever since.”

  “Do you have children somewhere?” Mom asked quietly.

  “Naw... Couldn’t have kids. Not sure whether it was because of me or because of Fred. By the time anyone said they could give us a straight answer, it was too late to worry about it.” Sally said with a matter-of-fact tone. “Besides, I got Bear here. He eats enough for three kids. Right Bear?”

  Bear barked once and grinned. It was one of their inside jokes.

  “What about the neighbors?” Mom asked, continuing her series of practical questions.

  “Oh, there’s some good ones, and a few bad apples, just like any place else. Old Joe Miller comes by to check on me from time to time. I think he’s got the hots for this old lady.” Sally replied, winking for effect. We laughed through our stuffed mouths. “I haven’t seen him for a long while, now that I think of it. I figured he was holed up from the cold, having dreams about me.” Sally cackled madly at her own joke.

  Looking at her more closely, and without her heavy outdoor gear, I realized she was much older than the impression she cast. The wrinkles around her light blue eyes were deep, and the whites of her eyes were a filmy mixture of colors. Her silver hair was cut raggedly short, like she cut it herself whenever it got in her way. The confusion came from her skin, which didn’t have the transparent look of the elderly, and from her neck. It wasn’t smooth exactly, but it didn’t flop around like a turkey waddle either. If I looked at her from the corner of my eye, I saw a pixie-like young girl holding her elbows high to reach the table.

  So, David. You sound like a clever young fella. What do you think this weather is going to do?” Sally asked with her face turning serious.

  “I think we’re looking at the peak of summer right now. I’m not sure whether anything is going to sprout at all this year. Maybe everything is dead.”

  “Naw. It ain’t dead. It’s just sleeping. When the time is right, most of it will bounce right back, but you’re telling me it’s not happening this year.” Sally folded her napkin and set it on the table.

  “I don’t think it will. I’m hoping it won’t get as cold as last winter, but I think it will get cold, and I think it will start early again. Nobody really knew what nuclear winter would do. All the studies were based on limited wars, and the results might as well have been wild guesses. They were all over the place.” Dad said, shrugging to make his confusion known to all.

  “Well, then... I guess we’ll be the first ones to know.” Sally said, matching Dad’s shrug with her own.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, Sally, what did you think was going on?” Mom asked.

  “Oh, I thought all that talk of global warming came true, ‘cept they got it backwards,” Sally Bean replied with a twinkle in her eye. “They get it backwards all the time, about all kinds of things. Seemed like as good a guess as any.”

  “I guess so. I might have come up with the same idea if it weren’t for my smart husband.” Mom replied. The two women shared a baffling look that was apparently sent in woman-code.

  “Let me ask you a question, Beth. What are you folks going to do? Where will you go?” Sally watched carefully as she asked.

  “I honestly don’t know. We’ve been stumbling from one lucky situation to another. We just had to get away from those men. I don’t know what the plan is now. Maybe David can say...” Mom answered.

  Dad thought for a few seconds. “Well, we can look around for an empty place and try to get ready for another cold winter. We can go south and hope that we end up somewhere we can camp out... That’s about as far as I’ve gotten.”

  “Here’s how I see it, David... Beth...” Sally held her chin as she spoke. “I’m not a young girl anymore. This place is a full time job, and I’ll be honest. I’ve been falling behind the past few years. How about if you folks stay here and help me around the farm? I have food and good shelter. And even better, you don’t have to drag your family out looking for a place you might never find. It’d be a real favor if you’d say yes.”

  Mom and Dad gave each other a look, and then looked at Arturo, who smiled and shrugged. I imagine he was thinking the same thing I was thinking. Once again, we were the luckiest family in the world.

  “Yes, Sally. We would be grateful to accept your offer,” Dad said with an open smile.

  “Good. I hope you still feel that way after you milk the cows. Let’s finish up and I’ll give you the tour.” Sally said, grinning with satisfaction. “Hear that, Bear? No more hogging the couch.”

  Chapter 8 – 3

  Terry looked across the lawn just east of Teeny Town. White canopy tents had been erected for shade from the summer glare. The new crowd of people from Beech Grove were wandering about with a bemused look on their faces as members of the community greeted them and made them feel welcome. Sam was standing in the rippling heat of his massive black barbecue trailer flipping cuts of meat and chicken with a quick, practiced hand. Tables had been quickly assembled into rows and little girls were roaming among the newcomers, handing out icy glasses of water and smiling. These folks may have come for war, but they found a carnival instead – a county fair with guns.

  Seth was having similar thoughts. He slid up beside Terry and said, “Man, we should have a war every week.”

  “Know what you mean, Big Guy.” Terry replied. “I’m not sure what to think of all of this.”

  “Well, it’s new territory for me, too. We’ve had to fight for things before, here and there, but we’ve never done anything like this.” Seth rubbed his hand across his jaw and shrugged.

  “Have you talked to John? Who’s going to the Jenkins farm?” Terry asked.

  “Don’t know, but I’d be mighty surprised if we don’t get called up,” Seth replied. “John took off right after the meeting.”

  “Well, we might as well say hello and see if we can grab some of that barbecue.”

  “Let’s start with Larry. He’s over there.” Seth started walking in that direction.

  Terry followed a couple of steps behind, noticing that Aggie had started with her usual efficiency. A crew of teenagers was a hundred yards to the north, beginning the process of setting up olive drab tents in an orderly grid. Larry was lost in thought, staring into the distance when they reached him.

  “Hey, Larry. It’s good to see you,” Terry said, extending his hand.

  “Hey, fellas. This is a nice setup you got here.” Larry replied, shaking both hands firmly.

  “Thanks, Larry. Don’t give me any credit.“ Terry replied. “I’ve been here about six weeks longer than you.”

  Seth grinned. “That’s right. Give me the credit. It was all me.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Larry. But in a way, he’s right. Bill had to build all this just to keep this big guy fed,” Terry said with a chuckle.

  Larry laughed along with Terry while Seth pretended to be wounded by the statement. “I can see where he might need a pretty bi
g field to keep those muscles puffed up,” Larry teased, and then slowly let his features settle. “I’m kind of lost, though. What should I do next?”

  “Well, if I’ve learned anything about this place, there’s a plan. Just relax, have some lunch, and wait until someone tells you,” Terry replied. “Other than that, I don’t know any more than you do.”

  Larry looked at Seth, hoping for a better answer. Seth noticed and said, “Don’t look at me. They don’t tell me nothing until it’s too late for me to escape.”

  “Ok. I’ve been worrying for so long, I guess I don’t know how to relax.” Larry idly picked at his fingernails, and let his breath out in a long sigh.

  “Where’s your family?” Terry asked, changing the subject.

  “Oh, they’re around here somewhere. I’ll introduce you, first chance,” Larry replied. “Wait. There’s Tate, over by the barbecue.”

  “We’ll go say hi,” Terry said. “Take it easy, Larry.”

  “Ok, boys. Later....”

  Terry and Seth wandered in the direction of Larry’s oldest son, smiling and sending cheerful hellos as they wove through the crowd. When they reached Tate, the young man was excited to see them.

  “Hey, Terry and...” Tate said, fumbling for the name.

  “Seth,” Seth said, wrapping Tate’s hand in a potentially crushing grip. Seth had long since learned the nuances of grip management, and stopped short of breaking any bones.

  “”Hi, Tate. We just spoke to your father,” Terry said. “I just wanted to say thanks for talking him into all this.”

  “Don’t thank me. I just told him what he already knew.” Tate said with a grim smile.

  “Well, maybe... I’m sure I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “The way I see it, my dad had given up hope until ya’ll came down the road. We were starving in that valley. The only thing I did was let him know we knew it too. We were tired of doing nothing, trying nothing, you know?” Tate looked from Terry to Seth and back again.

  “Yeah. You can meet my parents sometime.” Terry said with his head nodding. “In town, it was pretty much the same, except there were enough people that we could trade with for food, and there’re rich families who had an interest in keeping us alive - to do their dirty work.”

  “There was plenty of times we’d be happy to do dirty work. Everybody was the same. We all hunted and fished until there wasn’t anything left. Lots of good farmland and nothing to plant. We had some killing fights over dead squirrels.” Tate said with his hands showing his frustration.

  “Yeah... Well, Bill said he’d work something out after this is all over. He will.” Terry reached over and clapped Tate on the shoulder.

  Tate didn’t know what to say. The idea that anyone would help was a lost idea for his family. He saved himself by grabbing an arm as it passed by. The arm was attached to a small young woman, maybe five foot three with long dark hair. Terry saw a woman that would be pretty once she recovered from the effects of long term hunger. Her eyes were brown, darker than the brown of her hair. Her cheeks were sunken slightly, and her chin was a little too sharp. She had a small mouth with permanently pouting lips and a cute, rounded nose that blended smoothly into her face. She looked at Terry and smiled timidly.

  “Terry, this is my cousin, Susanna. We just call her Suze.” Tate said.

  “Hi, Susanna. It’s pleasure to meet you,” Terry said, smiling bigger in return. This is my friend, Seth.”

  “Hi, Terry. Hello, Seth,” she said in a tiny voice that promised to be rich and full once she got past the shyness.

  Seth, on the other hand, had just laid eyes on the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He stood there, just gazing at her until Terry shot an elbow into his side. “Oh, sorry. Hi, Susanna. I’m glad to meet you.” He grinned in a way that made Terry think Seth had lost all three of his marbles, but his smile opened Susanna right up. She dropped the bashful upturning of her lips and returned a full and dazzling smile of her own.

  Terry watched them staring stupidly at each other for about eight seconds before he said, “Well, I think I’ll let you two get acquainted. Me and Tate are going to grab some food.” He gave Tate a sideways jerk of his head, and got a sly grin in return. They walked away and left Seth and Susanna locked in an awkward trance.

  “Nice job,” Terry said when they had gained some distance.

  Tate laughed and said, “I just grabbed her to change the subject. Didn’t see that coming.”

  The two men joined the growing line for food. They were content to watch the people coming and going, talking and laughing, looking like anything but a war in the making. A rare cool breeze swept over the grass, and the entire community sighed with pleasure.

  The food came in woven grass baskets lined with heavy cloth napkins. Sam never asked what anyone wanted. He simply looked at the person bearing the basket and chose for them. He seemed to take pride in his selections, adjusting by types of food and portion size on the fly. In Terry’s case, he walked away with a mound of beef ribs, dripping in red sauce. At the next station, he received some chunky fried potatoes and a scoop of coleslaw, dumped right on top of the ribs.

  Terry selected a place at one of the long tables with the benefit of being in the shade of one of the canopy tents. Tate sat down across from him with a basket full of blackened chicken. Without a word, they began to munch happily on their food. From his location, Terry could see that Seth was sitting with Susanna against a fat oak tree on the edge of the woods. They were talking with animated gestures and frequent smiles. The sight triggered a smile on Terry’s face as well. Seth was many things in Terry’s short experience with the man. Giant mass of strength, dangerous fighter, good companion, but starry-eyed lover was not on the list until the last five minutes.

  The next thought would have been of Sally, but she beat him to the punch when she slid onto the bench beside him and said. “Did you save some for me?”

  Terry dug a dripping rib out of his basket and held it up for her. Grease and red sauce dripped down his hand. She grimaced and said, “Oh, nice. Such a gentleman.”

  “Me get food. Me share food with woman. Woman no like?” Terry said it with an exaggerated frown.

  Tate laughed so hard that coleslaw sprayed from his mouth. Sally looked at them both with disgust and said, “Boys!”

  “Clever,” Terry said.

  With that, Sally stalked away. Terry watched her denim clad butt jerking aggressively from side to side as she disappeared into the crowd.

  “You just had your first encounter with the Terror of Teeny Town,” Terry said as he turned back to his food. “Otherwise known as Miss Sally B. Carter.”

  “She likes you,” Tate said, still grinning.

  “She doesn’t know the word ‘like’,” Terry replied with a shrug.

  “Oh, man. You like her too!”

  “What’s not to like?” Terry asked, holding his hand up like cats’ claws and hissing for effect.

  Ten minutes later, Terry and Tate were staring at the bottoms of their baskets, and unconsciously holding their bellies against the mountain of food they had just inhaled. Tate spotted Sally on her return trajectory before Terry did, and quickly excused himself from the table. Terry wondered why Tate was in such a hurry until he spotted Sally for himself and gave Tate credit for being a smart guy.

  With Tate out of the way, Sally parked herself directly across from Terry and slapped her basket of chicken on the table.

  “Well, hi there, Sally,” Terry said.

  “Hello yourself, Terry Shelton.”

  “I was wondering... Could you take your pants off?”

  “I beg your pardon,” Sally half-shrieked, her cheeks turning bright pink.

  “It just occurred to me that you are only mean to me when you are wearing pants. Maybe those jeans are cutting off the blood to your heart.”

  “Oh, my God...”

  “The good news is, they look really good even if they are killing you slowly.”
>
  “Terry, shut up!”

  “So, that’s a ‘no’ on the pants removal...”

  Sally pulled a greasy chicken leg out of her basket and hurled it across the table. Terry ducked to the side and watched the leg fly by at high speed. A border collie mutt, lying in the shade of the buildings with about ten other dogs, broke from the group and snagged the chicken leg before it even stopped rolling. The lucky dog trotted south along the edge of town, having no intention of sharing his catch.

  “I can help you, you know.” Terry added as he returned to his normal sitting position.

  “You try, you die,” Sally said with real anger.

  Terry sighed and gave in. “I’m just messing with you, Sally. What’s got you so bent out of shape?”

  Sally spent the next few seconds trying to burn a hole in his face with her heat vision before she relaxed and said, “You’re on the mission tonight.”

  “Yeah, I kinda figured. Why is that a problem? I’ve been on lots of missions lately.”

  “Well, first of all, I’m not.”

  “That makes me happy. I’d rather you stay safe.”

  “Terry, nobody gets to stay safe now. I’m trained and capable, and I want to fight.”

  “Well, I’ve learned a thing or two about your father. I’d say reason number one is that you’re his daughter, and reason number two is that if men go on the mission, the worst thing that happens is we get tortured and killed. If you go, pretty as you are, you could get captured, imprisoned, and used as a plaything for very bad men for the rest of your life.”

  Sally winced at the thought. “Ok. I won’t take daughter as an excuse, but I’ll take rape.”

  “Good, because that’s exactly the kind of people we’re up against.”

  “Yeah, ok. You’re right,” Sally agreed.

  “What the other reason?”

  “What other reason?”

  “You said ‘first of all’,” Terry answered. “That usually means there’s a second reason.”

  “Well... You’re going. It’s dangerous as hell,” Sally said, her eyes large and wet.