The Last Tribe (63 page)

John popped through the door to see
what was so funny.  “What’s going on in here?”

“It has been a while since Karen
enjoyed eggs and sausage.  She’s a little emotional about it.”  Jamie told him.

“And she’s realizing she doesn’t
have to live with an abusive asshole anymore.”  Hank added.

Karen was too overwhelmed to
speak.  She laughed and cried, waving to John.  She mouthed “thank you” to him.

“Well, as long as I’m here, I’ll
take some more eggs.  I think everyone is up that is going to get up.”  John
let Jamie spoon more eggs on his plate.  He forked two more sausage patties and
took more toast.

Peter filled his cup with coffee
and followed John back into the dining room.  The kids had left to go on a
firewood run, allowing Peter to join John and Solange at the table.

“You two went to bed so early, I
didn’t get a chance to hear the rundown of the airport.  You found three fuel
trucks?  Two planes?  That’s the story?”

“We did.”  Solange confirmed.  “The
runway is clear.”

“I will go down to take a look.  If
we get fuel in and the engines turn over, well, I bet we can extend our time
here as long as we want, within reason of course.”  The old pilot sipped his
coffee.

“I need a day before I go back down
there.”  John told him.  “I’m tired and sore.”  The eggs were fantastic, and he
offered Solange some of his seconds.  She shook her head.  “One thing,” John
told him.  “It’s a mess at the airport.  The parking garage was converted into
a military barracks.  There are tents full of bodies.  There are scavenging
birds and animals, it smells like rotting flesh.  If Solange and I are not in
the group, know that you want to avoid the front of the airport.  Go straight
to the planes and fuel trucks.”

Peter nodded.  He had seen some
things in his life, he was not squeamish, but there was no need to invite those
images into his memory.

“I’d take Tony.  That kid knows how
to jump start vehicles, and I bet you’re going to have to jump the battery on
that plane.”  John talked through his toast.  “You are also going to have to
figure out how to get into that monster.”

“I know how to do that, don’t
worry.  You found the plane and the fuel, the rest is up to me.”  Peter thought
about the jumpstart.  “You just leave the rest up to me.”  He leaned back in
his chair, kicking his feet straight out in front of him.  He was thinking
about cows, pigs, goats, chickens, supplies, and most importantly, people.  “I
think I can give Antonio some flying lessons over the next few weeks, make him
a pretty serviceable co-pilot.”

A wry smile crept across Peter’s
face as a plan formed in his head.

Dan woke late.  He rolled over and
looked at his watch, placed neatly on his nightstand the night before. 

10 a.m. 

The fire he lit the night before
was out long ago.  His room was cold.  He was warm under the covers of his bed,
his knit cap securely on his head. 

He faced two problems.  He was
hungry, and he had to go to the bathroom. 

He ran to the bathroom outside of
his room, and bolted back to his bed. 

“One out of two isn’t bad.”  He
thought to himself. 

Dan pulled a pillow over his head,
rolled away from the bright sun streaming through the window, and went back to
sleep.

The chores posted on the daily calendar
in the dining room were done.  The firewood truck was filled and parked on
Choate Road.  The goats were milked and fed.  The chickens were fed and the
eggs collected.  Bread was baked and cooling.  Water was boiled for drinking,
and the tanks of the RV’s were filled for showering.  There was no fishing,
hunting, or trapping expedition for the day, as there was lobster and moose for
both meals.  The kids were at the library until 12:30, free to enjoy the rest
of the afternoon. 

Matt and Avery used a snow blower
to clear a set of tennis courts the day before.  They left to play on the newly
cleared and dry surface.  Meredith was never far from Avery, and asked to tag
along.  A dozen people quickly planned to use the tennis courts or watch their
friends play. 

It was not the “date” Matt hoped it
would be.

Lunch sizzled on the grill, thinly
sliced moose steaks pounded tender and served in baguettes.  Todd put out jars
of roasted red peppers, homemade mayonnaise, and scavenged steak sauce. 

Greg and Rebecca were early to
lunch.  They made a large sandwich, and snuck away before the crowd came from
school and the cottage.  They went to a one room coach house they kept secret
from the rest of the survivors.  Not even Paul or Hank knew about the private
spot.  It was a charming little place about a half of a mile away from Choate
Road. It had a half bath, day bed, couch, desk, and fireplace that warmed the
room.  There was firewood neatly stacked against the side of the cottage next
to the sliding glass door.  Upon arrival, Greg lit the starter log he brought
under his arm, and loaded the wood box next to the fireplace with the wood from
outside.

“It’s not too bad in here.” 
Rebecca said to Greg as he made his second trip in from the wood pile.  “I
think the skylight let’s enough sun in to warm it up a bit.”  She looked at
him.  “I still want the fire.”

“No kidding.”  He replied. 

She took off her backpack and
emptied the contents of their picnic on the coffee table in front of the
couch.  They had the steak sandwich and two bottles of water.  Not a huge
offering, but certainly enough for the two of them.  Instead of sitting down,
she pulled a few logs from the wood bin and placed them on the now burning
starter log.  The dry wood caught immediately, popping as it burned.

Greg dropped a third armload of
wood into the bin, an adequate supply for their picnic lunch and an afternoon
of relaxation.  He pulled off his work gloves and set them down next to the
bin.  He walked over to the sliding door and shut it.  He untied his boots, set
them by the door, and finally sat down next to Rebecca on the couch.

He leaned over and kissed her. 
They embraced for a few moments.  Their lips unlocked and she buried her face
into his shoulder.  “I miss you.”  She said into his sweater, a blue cashmere
she picked out for him at one of the stores in town.

“I know.  I miss you too.  I miss
us.”  They leaned back in the couch, holding hands.  They enjoyed being
together, alone together.  It had been a week since they were alone. 

“I love your family.”  She sat up
after a few minutes.  “They are great.  Your uncles are cool.  Your dad is
nice.  Your brothers and cousins are awesome.  I like everyone.  I love
everyone.”  She bit into her sandwich.  “I especially love Todd’s cooking.”  She
said.

“But you don’t love them all the
time.”  He added.

“It’s not even that, it’s like
we’re all together all the time.  We sleep in a house with 10 people.”  She ate
more sandwich.  “I’m a kid, I get it, they look at me like I’m 13, which I am,
but you and I were alone for a long time.  We were on our own for months before
we found each other, and months before anyone else came.”

“I know.”

“And, well, I was alone a lot
before the death.  My parents both worked at the store, and some days I would
be by myself, and I got used to that lifestyle.”

“Yep.”  He ate his sandwich as she
spoke. 

“So I don’t know how you feel, I
usually do, but I don’t right now.”  She paused as she chewed.  “I’m usually
much more in control of a situation.”  She put down her sandwich and looked at
him.  “I, I’m hoping we, but I’ll start with I, need to figure out a long term
solution to our living situation.” 

“I agree.”  He said through a mouth
full of moose. 

Greg put his sandwich on the paper
plate she had brought for him, and finished the bite in his mouth.  He touched
her hand, sliding his fingers into hers so their hands became one.  “It’s we. 
Don’t think it’s ever not we.  I love you.  Yes, I’m a 15 year old kid.  Yes,
to all the things you just mentioned, and yes, we have to figure out how the
“we” fits into the “tribe” my aunt Emily keeps talking about.”  He looked at
her.  She was a confident woman, not so much the young girl he met skipping out
to her trashcan six months ago.  Her hair was long, and hung down her shoulders
and back.  Greg used his free hand to touch the back of her head and run his
fingers through the auburn locks.  She closed her eyes, and leaned forward so
her head was resting on his shoulder again.

She kept her eyes closed. “I know
everything I want to do.  I can see how we are going to get the tribe to
Hawaii, how we are going to make a life there, but it has to be on our terms
when we get to Hawaii.  We have to be able to live our own life, two of us, not
eight of us sleeping in a room together.”  

“It will be.”  He stroked her
hair.  “We won’t let them control us.”  He leaned back on the couch, putting
his legs up.  She snuggled on top of him, her eyes still closed, his arm around
her.  They enjoyed the moment, lying together, breathing together.

“So you seem to be hitting it off
with Avery.”  Greg said, breaking the silence.

“I know, isn’t that funny?  She is
not my type, but maybe I don’t have a type anymore.  I mean, you’re not my
type.”

“I am so your type.”  He said,
lifting his head off the pillow to look at her.

“No, you’re not.  You’re a jock, a
popular kid.  Sure, you’re smart, but you’re not the level of smart that I hung
out with.”

“First of all, let’s be honest,
your level of smart is kind of its own level.”  He chuckled at her false modesty. 
“How many boyfriends did you have before me?” 

“None.”  She sat up with her elbows
on his chest, her chin in her hands.

“And I didn’t have a girlfriend, at
least a serious one before you, so that means we’re perfect for each other, and
therefore, as you smart kids would say, each other’s type.”

“Really?  Okay.”  She kissed him on
the nose before sitting up.  ”I’m finishing this sandwich.” 

Greg sat up too.  He picked up his
lunch.  “You think we can get to Hawaii?”

“Yes.  No question.”  She chewed and
looked at the fire.

“Really?  That simple?”

“I pulled the specs on the Boeing
777.  Peter is right, it has the capacity and the range.  Your father found
fuel.  Peter is licensed to fly that jet.  We are good.”

“How do you know he’s licensed?”

“I asked him.  He has his license
for both a 747 and a 777.  Either plane will work.  I think he’d rather find a
747, it’s smaller and probably easier for one man to handle, but again, either
will work.  The fuel should be fine.  We are going to Hawaii.”

“See, one hour with me, alone, and
you’re back to the old, confident Rebecca.”  Greg smiled at her, putting the
last bite in his mouth.  “That steak tasted so good.  I had no idea how much I
missed red meat.  Squirrel and rabbits aren’t the same thing.  And Uncle Todd
knows how to make bread.”  He sat back and rubbed his belly.

“You’re not my type, because I
didn’t have a type.”  She said to him, still looking at the fire. 

“I didn’t have a lot of friends,
Greg.  You know that.  I was too different, and that horrible disease took
everything away.  I gave up my childhood to be smart, to do well, to move on to
medical school or get an engineering degree.  Probably both, actually, I could
handle the load.”  She turned to look at him.  “I sacrificed more than any 7
year old should be asked to, but I did it, and I didn’t mind, because I knew
what was at the end, but look what happened.  I don’t have an ending, do I?  I
threw away being a third grader, skipping rope and playing with dolls.  I lost
all of that for nothing.”

“Come on.”  He rubbed her back.

“No, it’s fine, it’s upsetting, but
I get it.  Life is like that.”  She put her hand on his leg.  “I got you. 
Whatever took everything away from me gave me you to make up for it.  That
sounds insane for a rational fact based person like me to say, but I think I
believe that through all this death and destruction and pain, we got each
other.”  She fell into his arms.  “I love you, Greg.  I didn’t have a type, and
if I did, it wasn’t a handsome, baseball playing, good grade getting,
hardworking boy like you, but you’re my type now, and I’m getting tired of
sharing our time with everyone else.” 

He held her, and they watched the
fire getting low.  Greg stood to put a log on.

“What if we promise each other
this.”  He asked.  “When we get to Hawaii, we find a place, a little house,
maybe close enough to everyone else, but still just ours, and we live like
we’re supposed to live, together, the two of us.  We are part of the tribe, but
we get to be alone when we want to be.”

“I love your family, but I can’t
live with them in the same house.  I accept your offer.”  She was exhausted,
her words were coming slowly, her eyelids fluttered, and there was a yawn at
the end of her sentence.  Rebecca let herself fall sideways onto the couch. 
Greg placed a soft blanket from a nearby chair over her. 

“Sleep tight.”  He kissed her
cheek. 

Rebecca awoke to the sound of Greg
placing another log on the fire.  “What time is it?”  She asked him, stretching
her arms and watching him head back to a big leather reclining chair.  “That
was the best sleep I’ve had in a week.”

“It’s 4:30 sleepy head.”  He sat in
the chair reading old magazines.  “I mean, fun afternoon away you planned for
me.  ‘Why don’t we sneak off so I can take a four hour nap.’”

“I can’t help it if you don’t take
naps.  Mine was great.  It was just what I needed.”  She sat up.  “You promised
me a bungalow in Hawaii, and you guarded me for a nap.  Rebecca wins.” 

He gave her a look from his chair. 
“Are you ready to go?  We should get back.”

“You know what I’d like to do?  I’d
like to spend the days working with the group, doing our tasks, helping out,
then come back here and be alone for the night.”

“I don’t know.”  Greg replied. 
“The Boston people just got here.  That’s a bold move.”

“I know it’s not going to happen,
but it’s what I would like.  I’m just saying it to you.  I’m not asking you to
do it.”

“It has been nice to sit down and
read a magazine again.”  He held up a tabloid.  “Do you remember when we cared
about all of this stuff?”  A celebrity couple smiled on the cover.  The woman
was pregnant, and there was a fake tear between the two people signaling a
break-up.  “It’s weird to think all of these people are dead.”

“Maybe they aren’t dead.”  Rebecca
told him.  “If Dan Couples is alive, maybe one of them made it.”

Greg nodded.  “You know, if we do
stay here for a while, more than two weeks.  I will move over here with you.  I
can’t take the summer camp lodging we have.  Yes, I’m 15, but does that mean I
get put in the kids’ house with everyone else?  Matt must feel the same way. 
Sure, fun to see him, love him and Craig, but we didn’t share a room in
Charleston.  Why am I sharing a room now?”

She stood and walked over to his
chair, sitting on his lap and cuddling.  “It’s just the way it is right now. 
This is all temporary.”

“I know.”  He put his arms around
her.  “You understand, I love a lot of the things we have with the new people,
but I miss some of the things you and I enjoyed when it was just us.”

“Now you sound like me.  This is
your family.  Snap out of it Dixon.”  She enjoyed his embrace for a few
minutes. 

“Okay, time to get back.”  She got
up from his lap.  “We probably need to help distribute firewood or make dinner
or something.  Let’s not become freeloaders.”

“Alright, just let me run through
this one more time.  I’ve had a few hours to stare at this half bath.  The
sewer system is still there, right?  If we can figure out a way to have water
in the toilets, if the pipes running to the sewers aren’t frozen or did not
burst this winter, we should be able to use the toilets, right?”  Greg was
determined to restore modern conveniences.

“Yes.”  She told him, pulling on
her shoes.

“What if I redirect the gutters on
the houses into rain barrels, and we have the rain barrels fill the backs of
the toilets after flushing.  Sure, we’ll have to fill the toilets manually with
a spigot, but it’s still better than going outside.”

“See, I knew I liked you for your
brains.”

He looked through the door of the
half bath.  “I could run a hose or gutter through the window and use the sink
for a stand.”  He thought out loud.  “I’m going to try it here first, maybe
tomorrow.  There are some rain barrels along the big house.”

“You are overlooking a bigger issue
on the horizon.”  Rebecca grinned wryly.

“What?”  Greg replied, true concern
in his voice.  “Are you afraid the sewage is emptying into the river or pond?”

“At some point we are going to run
out of toilet paper.  You should focus your attention on learning how to make
soft, pliable tissue rather than worrying about a toilet.”

“Oh my god, you’re right.”  Greg
had not considered toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, or even diapers as a
fleeting resource.

“Okay, Greg, let’s get our shoes on
and go.”  She waited for him by the door.