Ceara sat listening to everyone and realized one thing, she really didn’t know any of these people and the lives they led up until now were very different than anyone she had ever been around.
Colt was a boss, she just couldn’t picture him bossing anyone around. Tabitha had a rough life, and she lived like it.
Beth just wanted to save the world but the place she worked destroyed it, some how she felt responsible but Ceara couldn’t make heads or tails of that.
Her dad
had a saying; don’t claim what ain’t yours to claim. Don’t matter good or bad, if it don’t belong to you don’t claim it. Ceara thought Beth might need to hear that.
Alden had a deep soothing voice that Ceara loved to listen to, well when he wasn’t yelling at her. It actually shocked her to know he had ever loved anyone, he just seemed to hardcore for any lovey dovey stuff. She snickered trying to control it but once he started talking about the bom
b, she had no problem stopping.
Charlie had jumped at the chance to go to the van and Ceara watched him, he had a relieved look that she wanted to understand. What was he hiding, was he a horrible person before? She just couldn’t see that, no one as caring and giving as him could have been different in their other life. “I will leave Maximus out but I haven’t broke him of the barking at everything so don’t blame me if he goes o
ff barking, chasing a raccoon.”
Alden smiled, “
I’ll get’em broke soon enough.”
Ceara scow
led, “Don’t be mean to my dog.”
Alden got up winking at her and went to help Charlie; Ceara
looked
at Colt and Tabitha, “So why do you guys think that Beth is still trying to convince us this isn’t her fault?”
Colt looked to the cabin that Beth had went in, then back to Ceara, “Well
,
I didn’t help the day she told me, we were out here and I was cutting wood when she told me. I kind of lost it and accused her of killing Jessica.”
Tabitha lit a cigarette taking a drag blowing the smoke right in Colt’s face, “Look dude, when she told us we kind of did the same thing but we figured ou
t that it wasn’t her, did you?”
Colt waved the smoke out of his face, “Yeah I did, and you can stop with the smoke. I told you guys
at the camp that I was an ass.”
Ceara wasn’t convinced, “Well I know I haven’t said anything and I don’t think anyone else has. You are the closest to her so think about anything else you may have said.”
Colt stood up, grabbing his plate and silverware, “You guys think what you want, I haven’t said anything else.” He walked off to go in the cabin. Ceara looked at Tabitha and both cracked up laughing.
Tabitha looked over her shoulder then back to Ceara, “Somebody has their panties in a bunch.” Both girls stood still laughing, Ceara gathered up all the plates left and Tabitha got the glasses and silverware. Ceara looked to the woods where Alden and Charlie disappeared with the dogs, and Tabitha smiled, “Your boyfriend is in good hands don’t worry.”
“He isn’t my boyfriend and I know
he’s ok
.”
Both girls headed for their own cabins c
alling good night as they went.
Alden and Charlie walked into the woods a little bit and Alden explained how the wire would work. Starting at a tree about
fifty feet
away
, in
front the shed that held the generator he wrapped the wire around it. They then stretched it to the next tree keeping it about two feet off the ground. Every two feet the
y
wrapped two bottles or threaded it through three cans. Each time the
y
tightened it on the next tree Alden would give it a little tug to make sure the items clanked together. A
s
they moved along Charlie looked at Alden. “I want to thank you fo
r what you did for me tonight.”
Alden was tying off two bottles, “yeah what was that?
”
Charlie looked down then back at him, “You know… making sure I didn’t have to tell my story.”
Alden looked at him as they moved along, “Well kid
,
they were all sharing as the Oprah’s of the world would say… and well…. you and I ain’t the sharing type.”
Wrapping the cord he looked at Charlie and started to chuckle, “Shit
,
if Oprah ever got you
and
me on her show it’d be a fucking cry fest.”
Charlie started to bust up laughing when all of sudden Maximus turned and began to growl. Charlie stopped short and grabbed for his hunting knife, looking at Alden. He was just standing there looking off into the trees then he turned and snapped his fingers at Maximus who turned and looked at him. “Leave it alone it ain’t nuthin but a damn mouse.”
Just then Charlie saw a small mouse run across a log. “How in the hell do you do that?” he asked.
Alden smiled, “
All animals make noise, s
nakes rustle leaves
, s
quirrels rustle branches, mice have little claws that go ticky ticky ticky….
a
nd Dead heads moan and humans fart and belch. You just have to learn to keep your ears open.”
Charlie
chuckled;
Alden went on, “also use your nose. You stink and I could smell you a mile away, if an animal stops to relieve himself
,
you can smell that too. Be aware of everything around you the littlest things that d
on’t look right are the clues.”
Charlie realized that Alden was training him the way he had trained a thousand other young men to stay alive in combat, and that was exactly what this was. The two finished at the end of third cabin and Alden started to walk up to the back door. He looked to Tonto and snapped his fingers. Tonto sat down and Maximus followed his lead.
“Tonto, front and guard.” He pointed towards the front of the cabin where the fire was burning down. Tonto stood licked Alden’s hand and trotted off. Maximus sat for a few seconds watching Tonto then looked to Alden.
Alden snapped his finger and pointed after Tonto, “Well Max
,
what’re waiting for.”
Max stood up and ran after Tonto. Charlie and Alden watched as the dogs got to the picnic table and crawled underneath. As Alden turned to go up the steps he stopped and looked
to Charlie, “
I covered your ass at the table, but when you get inside with that young lady, you’re on your own. Be honest with her, son it’ll be your best move.”
He turned and walked in the back door. Charlie heard him call out, “HONEY I’M HOME”
Charlie shook his head snickering as he walked to his cabin. Going up the steps to the back he turned and looked out towards the new grave then went back down and walked over to it. The moon was half full and shining down through some sparse clouds. He stood for a minute then sighed, “Sleep well little one
,
tomorrow I’ll see what I can do about getting you a marker. It won’t
be fancy but I’ll do my best.”
A tear came to his eye as he stood. Charlie heard the back door open and turned towards the cabin. Ceara was standing there holding the screen door open, she called out to him.
“Charlie, why don’t you come in
, it’s starting to get chilly and I nee
d help getting a fire started.”
Charlie smiled weakly, “Sure I’ll be right there.” He looked at the grave. “Goodnight
…
” Turning he walked back to the cabin and up the steps.
Ceara looked into his eyes as he reached the top, “You
did a good thing today Charlie, r
eal good. You brought some
kindness back into the world.”
Charlie smiled, “I hope so. There’s been enough sadness and I just
got a
feel
ing
there’s going to be
a lot
more of that than joy.” He walked in and
Ceara closed the door behind hi
m.
Colt walked in the back door of his and Beth’s cabin listening to the laughter of the girls and knew he was the butt of their joke but he really didn’t care. He softly closed the door so he didn’t bother Beth, the thoughts of Ceara saying how Beth felt, was somehow his fault was really bugging him. He pulled out his gun and set it on the counter and walked into the front room to see Beth sitting on the couch, knees pulled to her chest and a small blanket thrown over her.
She had been crying and her eyes were swollen, Colt didn’t even think she knew he was there. “Beth, you ok?” She didn’t reply, didn’t even look at him, “Beth….” He walked around to the front of the couch and sat on the opposite end, reaching for her, he put a hand on her knee.
He finally got a reaction
,
but not one he would have expected, she jerked away from his touch. He looked at her confused
,
but didn’t try to touch her again, “Ok maybe the girls were right, did I do
something to make you hate me?”
Colt leaned back looking at the picture on the wall of a mountain lake, “You know what Jessica told me one time
?
She said
her
stages of made ca
me in three levels, if she glared at me but spoke or yelled I wasn’t in
too
much trouble. If she glared with no words, I was in trouble but I better figure it out fast. Then there was the last level, no speaking, no touching and no looks. She said if I ever hit that level that whatever I did I better damn well know what it was and make it right. She even said that
at the third level there wouldn’
t even be hints at what I did.”
Colt chuckled, “Well I never hit that last stage with her but it looks like those rules go across the board for women. I don’t know what I did
,
but I’ll figure it out and then
,
if I realize it was wrong
…
I will make it right.”
Throwing the blanket off of her and directly on top of Colt she said with a very snobby tone, “Smart woman!
I’m surprised you survived, not her…”
Slowly she walked back to the bed room where she sat quietly on the bed. Beth wasn’t mad at Colt and down deep inside she knew that was probably not the best sarcastic thing to say to him. But every nerve in her body was exposed, especially after thinking about the text that she had received from Amanda. Then the question that pushed that memory to the back was, “Is there ANYONE left alive other than the six of them!!!” Beth figured that most if not all of the branches of the CDC in America were probably wiped out. Hopefully there may be some still operating, maybe in other parts of the world. Then Beth thought of losing Kelly and Chad along with all of the other co-workers. Tears began to fall from her eyes
once more,
as the memories of what she had to do to her family came fleeting in. For the first time since all of it had happen;
a
numbness entered her body. Wiping the tears from her eyes Beth stood up and began cleaning the room trying to make it somewhat home for
her.
Ceara followed Charlie into the living room to the fireplace; there were ashes everywhere from the paper she had burned trying to get the fire started. Charlie burst out laughing, “I’m surprised you didn’t burn the damn cabin down.”
Ceara blushed, “I was jus
t trying to help.”
Charlie went to the fireplace and started making a better arrangement to get a good fire going. He looked over his shoulder, “I know you did, and you did good
,
but I’ll teac
h you how to make a good fire.”
Ceara gave him a weak smile, “Yeah, well that means you have to stick aroun
d and not get bit or anything.”
Charlie was taken aback by that statement, “Ceara
,
I don’t plan on anything happening to me
,
but I want you to be able to go on if anything does
happen
.”
Ceara shrugged, “No” She turned going into the kitchen and began washing the dishes as he got the fire going. She didn’t want to think of anything happening to any of their group. She along with everyone else had already lost so much, what right did God have to make any of them suffer any more loss. She along with Colt and Beth had to kill their own families, maybe Charlie too. Ceara didn’t know becaus
e he hadn’t told his story yet.
A little bit later he came in and leaned on the counter as she dried the last dish, she looked over at him, “What?” Charlie smiled, “Fire
s going, you want to go relax.”
Alden walked through the kitchen and found Tabitha in the large master bedroom unpacking her things. “So you simply decided that
;
for whatev
er reason you get the big bed?”
Tabitha turned and grinned, “I just figured that since you
were
in the army and all
,
that you’d be u
sed to sleeping on the ground.”