What Comes After (Book 1): A Shepherd Cometh (25 page)

The Shepherd looked at Ben. He saw potential in the boy, who was ready to rise and continue the journey. Unlike the brother and sister they traveled with, he had yet to burden himself with the notion of limitations. He may have lacked the benefit of Tom's training and conditioning, but he did not lack for two of the most important traits in a proven human; focus and will. His ability to stand beside Tom when the Shepherd rose and made to leave was all the evidence necessary. This sense changed when Ben turned his face up and looked into Tom's eyes. The young man was momentarily taken aback by the intensity in that gaze, speaking to the numbness of suppressed grief and the slow smolder of undirected rage. Then the view of that potential was gone, replaced by the small, seemingly frail child standing beside him.

Tom smiled sadly. “Ready?” The boy nodded.

The Shepherd led the small group upstream. They walked only a hundred yards when they found a suitable place to cross. Even Ben, with his much shorter strides, could hop from stone to stone and reach the other side without wetting his well-worn sneakers. Half an hour later, Tom distributed some veggies from the pack on Ben's back. His instructions to eat slowly while they continued walking were the only words spoken since the short break at the stream.

The remainder of the day would pass in similar silence, broken only when the small traveling band gathered around Tom in mid-afternoon. Bidding them take another breather, the Shepherd used the time to climb a stout tree and check the path ahead with his field glasses. A mound of tree-topped stone rose above the gentle rolling slope of the forest a few miles away. Focusing his binoculars, he saw a rock face with rough natural steps staring back at him.

“Whatcha lookin' at?” Janessa asked from the base of the tree.

“Granite ridge with stone stairs,” Tom answered. He kept the disappointment from his voice, but felt it manifest on his face.
We won't make it there before night fall
, he thought.

“That's good.” The young woman's voice was husky with exhaustion.

“Probably.” He shimmied down the tree.

Opening his pack, he removed the map from its clear sleeve on the back of the cover flap. Much as he had at the stream a few hours earlier, he made some calculations and checked them. Certain that the rock edifice was the second marker, he nodded. Though it was more to himself, Janessa still saw the movement and sighed in relief. She allowed herself to lean against the tree and slide into a sitting position at its base.

After sitting still a moment, she took a deep breath. Eyes closed, head leaned back against the tree trunk, she asked her question with tired hope. “Probably a good place to stop for the night?”

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Probably. You sit tight with Toby. Ben and I will take a look around and get some kindling. Won't have a fire, most likely,” he said, before they got their hopes up. “But just in case.”

Returning the map to its sleeve, Tom looked to Ben. “Up for a stroll before we call it a day?”

Ben said nothing, his lips pressed together in a faint, flat line. He nodded, instead. Then they left, the Shepherd and the boy, to make their rounds. They weren't long removed from the others before the boy broke his silence, taking comfort to do so from the unspoken support Tom offered during their walk.

“Are we close?” The boy seemed startled by the sound of his own voice, narrowly avoiding misstep.

Tom knew better than to focus on him or even look directly at him. He had seen enough children experience what the boy was going through. Hadn't he gone through it himself? That was a long time ago, he thought.
In another life.
If he did too much too quickly, he suspected Ben would clam up again and not speak until tomorrow, possibly longer. Instead, he looked around for decent kindling and nodded. “Late in the day, most likely. If we press hard right after sun up.”

The boy picked up a few small branches, pieces Tom himself had looked at and passed over in favor of heavier offerings. Arranging the wood in his arms, Ben spoke again. “We should do that, then.” He paused and looked squarely at the Shepherd. “We shouldn't keep Caleb waiting.”

Tom regarded Ben, a boy of no more than ten.
Probably younger than that
, he mused.
But he already has a sense of urgency, if only to reach a place where he'll feel safer. It's more than Janessa and her brother have shown, and they're better than twice his age.
This boy will do his mothers memory justice. If he survives.
This last thought stirred the Shepherd to action, and he led the child onward. They gathered precious little in the way of wood, but they had ample time to study the perimeter of their camp and the brush covered slope on which it sat.

When they returned from their jaunt, they found Janessa as they left her, seated against the tree. Her condition had changed, however: she was fast asleep, now. Toby sat beside her, quietly chewing on a carrot. Seeing the young man and the boy come back into view, he nodded to them, by way of greeting. Though he saw the kindling they carried, he read the Shepherd's face plainly. “Ain't gonna be no fire, is there?”

Tom shook his head before crouching and dropping the branches into a small pile. “Not enough foliage to break the sight line around here. Even if we start it at dusk and keep it burning low, in a hole, the light will still be too visible. Sorry, Toby.”

Janessa's brother said nothing, just regarded Tom with a surly expression. “Whatev,” he said before crunching another piece of his carrot.

“With any luck, we can have one tomorrow night. Like I was telling Ben, if we push hard on first light, we can make the firehouse before sunset. Even if the place is completely collapsed, there should be something around to help shield the light. Provide some kind of shelter from weather and what have you.” Tom said this while retrieving his pack.

After he found a piece of ground to call his own for the night, he continued. “Seeing as how your sister's already asleep, we'll have her take the mid watch. She should be rested enough to remain alert and she'll probably appreciate getting a few extra winks before we head out in the morning. So, which would you like?”

Toby raised an eyebrow skeptically. “What do you mean, 'which would I like'?”

It was Tom's turn to raise an eyebrow. “Watch. Which watch would you like?”

When Toby didn't respond after a few seconds, Tom asked, “You know what a watch is? Right?”

The other young man's face shown with indignation. “Man, who do you think I am? I was a soldier before you came along. 'Course I know what a god damn watch is. Who does this fool think he's talking to? Psh.” Toby shook his head. “Which watch do I want. Man. Some people.”

Tom let a full minute pass before replying. “Toby?” He waited for Toby to look at him, still bristling with anger. “You haven't answered the question. Are you staying up late or getting up early?”

Toby glowered at Tom before replying. “What if I don't care which one I get? What do you say to that?”

Tom sighed.
I shouldn't be surprised
, he thought.
Everywhere there's plenty, even if only for a while, people become more concerned about themselves than working together. Been some time since I've seen it this pronounced.
To the other young man, he said, “I'll take the last one. Kind of an early riser, anyway.”

With that settled, Tom took his collapsible shovel from it's loop on the outside of his pack. He was crossing to a sizable buttonbush shrub when Toby called out around a mouthful of carrot.

“Hey, hold up. Where you going?”

Tom blinked. “To dig us a toilet.”

When Toby only stared blankly in response, Tom went behind the bush and did just that.

The remainder of the daylight passed uneventfully. Tom cleaned his sidearm and stowed the spent brass for reloading or trading. Then he helped Ben find a spot to sleep on and arrange his blankets accordingly. The boy wanted nothing in the way of conversation and Tom obliged him. Toby fussed with his own blankets but declined assistance, though it was clear he was unfamiliar with making a bed on the ground. Shortly before the sun set, the Shepherd took out more carrots and cucumbers for their evening meal. He left himself more time than usual for his daily prayers. In light of all that had happened in the last two and half days, he had much to consider and seek guidance about.

The bowl of the sky was dark. In it, pinpricks of silver glimmered above a bar of orange and purple rapidly shrinking in the west. The Shepherd had completed his ritual prayers and roused himself from his meditation. As the night air settled on his face like a cool veil, Tom listened to the forest deepen into its evening hush. The creatures that called this place home were taking refuge against the coming night and all the dangers and wonders it brought.

He watched his companions as long as the light permitted, noting how they one and all lay quiet and still. Ben was huddled close to the tree where Tom had set his own bed, sleeping with soundness wrought of exhaustion both physical and emotional. Toby lay curled at the base of the tree near his sister, who had yet to move from where she had begun her slumber hours earlier.
She'll be sore in the morning
, Tom thought.

He gave Toby another five hundred count before leaning close and used his sheathed kukri to poke the sole of the other young man's boot. To his credit, Toby woke quickly and reached for his rifle.

“What?” He hissed, speech still slurred by sleep.

“Your watch,” Tom said. The Shepherd leaned back, resting his head against the pillow he had made of his pack and coat.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm on it.” There was a rustling as Toby stood, then intermittent crackling and popping as he moved away.

Tom lay awake for a long while. His mind was still active, searching for meaning in the events of the last few days. He wondered what would happen when they reached the firehouse. He also had doubts about Toby's ability to stand watch. His concern was not limited to questioning Toby's stamina, but also his ability to remain alert and aware for the duration of his shift. Knowing he could manage with a bit less sleep, Tom indulged his concern. He listened to the other young man move about and mutter to himself. When he guessed an hour had passed and Toby was still moving around, the Shepherd was satisfied their guard was as ready as could be for whatever might find them during the night.

He drifted off quickly after that, waking only once and briefly when Toby and his sister switched places. When he woke after that, it was at Jannesa's insistence. His eyes snapped open and he tensed momentarily, ready to spring into action before he recognized the silhouette crouching over him.

“Your turn,” she whispered.

Tom nodded and rubbed his eyes before opening his sleeping bag and rolling out of it. Clipping his belt around his waist and picking up his M14, he moved to the other side of the nearby tree. From here, he could watch both his companions and the slope on which they slumbered. He was only minutes into his watch when he noticed Janessa had not returned to her paltry bedroll. In fact, she had yet to move from where she had woken him.

“Can't get back to sleep?” He asked quietly, not wanting to wake the others or draw the attention of the forest's night hunters.

She replied just as quietly. “Since the kids were out, figured you might tell me what the plan is.”

Tom turned his attention to Toby and Ben. Where Janessa's brother slept fitfully, Ben was just as still as when he'd first lay down. It was almost as though the boy were trying to show the other young man how this sleep-thing was done, and that notion brought a smile to Tom's lips. Looking back into the darkness around their camp, he resumed their quiet conversation. “He always like that?”

Janessa took her own look back at her brother. After a moment, she answered Tom's question. “Sometimes. It's worse outside.” She made a sound like laughter. “Kinda surprised he's sleeping at all. Must've been pretty worn out from all that running.”

“Is it the dark? The forest? Just being outdoors? There's no shame in any of it. If we're going to be sharing the road for any length of time, though... we should probably know those sorts of things.”

The young woman took a moment before responding. “The dark, mostly. It happened at night, where we were.” She paused again. “Feels like so long ago. Too long for that to still bother a person.”

It was Tom's turn to wait before continuing. “Be that as it may, seems like something we'll need to work around. Thanks for telling me. Anything I should know about you?”

Her reply was quick. Not immediate, but too fast to have been given real consideration. “No,” was all she said.

“Fair enough,” the Shepherd said in an even tone.

There was a lull in the conversation. The two of them waited, listening to the quiet hush of the pine boughs and the creek of soft wood swaying gently. Time passed, neither willing to continue their conversation at the expense of the other. When the cold of early morning began it's slow creep into their bones, Janessa broke the silence.

“Did you mean what you said, earlier? About us sharing the road for a while?” Her voice carried a veiled note of hope.

Tom nodded, though the young woman couldn't see the movement. It was more for himself, anyway. “I did. Someone much wiser than myself told me I should say what I mean and mean what I say. The real question is, will you and your brother be willing to share it with me?”

The confusion in her voice was to be expected. “What do you mean? Of course-”

“Pardon my interruption, ma'am. Before you agree to anything, there are a few things you should know. First, you're not the only one that would be coming. Ben will be on that path, at least until we can get him back to his people. If he has any people to return to.” Here, the young man waited for acknowledgment.

“Figured as much,” Janessa said. When he didn't continue, she was more clear. “I can agree with that.”

“Good,” Tom said. “You probably won't like the next two.”

“Why's that?” She asked.

“Well, I do things differently. If you're traveling with me, that means you'll be doing things differently, as well. In fact, it might be fair to say your entire way of life would change. For example, viewing people as friend or foe, not food. Helping those you find, whether you have the means on hand or not. Oftentimes, you'll have only yourself to rely on for the bare necessities. Out here, you're always on the move. It's hard and can be lonely, but it's full of promise.” Tom took a breath. “I know it's hard to imagine a different way of life, but can you honestly tell me you thought you'd be living how you were when I found you? I don't think so. Just like it took you time to reconcile yourself to the way of life you just left, it'll take a while to get used to a new way one. But you did it before. I think you have it in you to do it again.” Here he paused, giving her a chance to mull over what he'd said.