Chapter 13
By the time we reached town, a huge blazing sun crested over the horizon, shedding an orange glow over the buildings and streets. The sound of saws and men working echoed up the hillside, bringing the scent of sawdust and biofuel drifting on the breeze. As I hooked onto Main Street, passing the jagged line of broken trees that had been ravaged by winter storms, I had a moment to appreciate the town of Stanton, a community of survivors who understood the need to work together to rebuild our world.
Mr. Higgins was out sweeping the sidewalk in front of the store as we pulled up with the horses. The store was the meeting place for the caravan and there were already several trucks, trailers, and vans lined up and ready to go.
“Good morning, Lily.” Mr. Higgins rested on his broom and eyed Will suspiciously. “Who’s your young friend?”
Before I could answer, a gruff and familiar voice piped in. “That’s the grifter who was stealing from your store the other day.”
I wheeled around to face Josh Johnson, his brother Luke at his side like a faithful dog. I looked past the two of them to see Tyler and Mr. Johnson loading the last of the town’s cargo onto a large semi. I ignored Josh and turned back to Mr. Higgins.
“I’m sure Josh is mistaken,” I said. I pulled a jar of honey out of my bag. “How is Mrs. Higgins feeling?” She’d been near death with fever a few days before, but I’d gotten to her just in time. The locals didn’t ask for much from me, but they knew I couldn’t say no when someone was seriously sick or injured.
Mr. Higgins, a good-natured and wise man with a thick jaw and even thicker neck, took the honey, dismissing Josh with a hard look. “She’s much better, thank you.” He eyed me gratefully and dropped the subject. “I’m sure the Mrs. will appreciate the gift, Lily. Why don’t you and your friend come in and get a donut or two for the road? I can smell a fresh batch as we speak.” He ushered us inside and away from Josh who stared after us, infuriated. Will glared at Josh in challenge, but remained silent.
Happy to escape Josh’s evil eye, I led Will toward the sweet aroma wafting through the screen door. I’d have plenty of time to get the full story once we were on the road. Mrs. Higgins came out of the back room with a tray of what I immediately identified as her light and fluffy chocolate crullers. A look of concern shadowed her face.
“What have you done to your hair?” She shook her head as her gaze flicked from me to Will and back. “Maggie McKinley got a hold of you again, I presume? I wish she would at least learn to cut a straight line for goodness sake.”
I introduced her to Will and took a donut. He reached for the tray and nodded, thanking the woman politely. Despite the odd fact that our haircuts were very similar, his looked far more natural and attractive than mine. His hair was shaved short all the way around with a band of sandy straight bangs hanging low across his forehead covering one eye. Mrs. Higgins poured us cups of milk and then focused on me again.
“Lily, I was hoping I’d see you before you left for Albany.” She set the tray on the counter and absently slapped her husband’s hand as he reached for a donut. “Those are not for you, darling. They are for the customers.” She patted the offending hand kindly as her husband scowled. “Why don’t you put on another pot of coffee dear? I’ll need to fill some thermoses for the travelers.” Mr. Higgins rolled his eyes and trudged off to the kitchen, grumbling about being a slave to love and something about wasting away.
I took another big bite of the donut. A burst of chocolate creaminess melted in my mouth. Will groaned with ecstasy as he downed the donut in two bites. His eyes lit up as Mrs. Higgins offered him seconds. We washed them down with milk and waited for Mrs. H. to continue. “Is there something wrong?” I asked, as she continued to wring her hands on her apron and dart glances out the front door.
“A man was here the other day from the government. He didn’t ask for you specifically, but it seemed…well…it seemed he might have been looking for you and Zephron.” She rushed to add, “I didn’t tell him anything, mind you, but he sounded…determined.”
I kept my face blank and felt Will go very still beside me. A wave of tension hit me and I couldn’t tell if it was all from him, or if it was my own nervousness that had my stomach turning the luscious donuts to lead. “I don’t know anything about any government man in the area. He must have moved on,” I lied. I wasn’t a very good liar, but with my mouth full of donut, I must have sounded convincing.
“I’m sure you’re right,” she breathed, her shoulders relaxing. Noting that Will was hiding behind his cup as he drank down the rest of the milk, Mrs. Higgins smiled broadly, her usual burst of good nature shining through in her round cheeks and big brown eyes. You would never know she’d been on death’s door a few days before. A surge of gratitude rose up inside as I realized she likely wouldn’t have survived without my help. “Why don’t I wrap some of those donuts to go? A jar of your wonderful honey is worth at least an even half dozen.” She added with an appreciative smile, “And after what you did for me, it’s the very least I owe you.”
Before Will had a chance to ask the questions that I was sure were rattling around in his head, the doorbell chimed and Mr. Johnson entered, Josh and Luke following behind him. Tyler dropped back and examined the candy jar on the counter.
“That’s him,” sniped Josh, glaring at Will.
“Hello, Lily.” Mr. Johnson’s voice was cool, but I squared my shoulders and gave him a pleasant smile.
“Hello, Sir.”
“It seems you’ve made a new friend.” He studied Will from head to toe before turning his dark eyes on me. Tall and brown-skinned, his bald head glistened with sweat even though the morning sun had just risen. Bronzed and muscled arms bulged through his shirt, the rolled-up sleeves revealing callused knuckles and hardworking hands. He turned his dark eyes on Will. “My boy tells me he saw you stealing a few days back.”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Will said, his voice firm as he kept eye contact with the much larger man. A strong scent of manure filled the air around us.
The Johnson farm on the outskirts of town provided much of the hay for livestock in the area. Aside from ranching, Mr. Johnson was our only local law enforcer—a man who prided himself on keeping the crime rate low in the county through a strict zero tolerance policy for any infractions.
Anyone caught violating the simple but strict code of conduct laid down by the sector councils was sent directly to one of the many work camps set up to replace the old prison system. It didn’t matter if you stole a muffin or strangled your neighbor; the work camps were a harsh and punishing environment meant to maximize productivity for the regions while keeping criminal activity at bay.
Mr. Johnson narrowed his gaze. My heart skipped a beat. “That may be so, and since Mrs. Higgins hasn’t filed a complaint, I’ll let it go…this time.” His jaw tightened as he glared down at Will and stepped a foot closer, his imposing size and the stench of his sweat blurring my vision. Will stood straight and tall, his shoulders set and feet planted as he met the man squarely. “Let me make myself very clear, boy. I’ll be keeping my eye on you. And rest assured I’ve got plenty of help to keep me informed of your whereabouts and activities. If you step over the line…and I mean one inch over…your future will be considerably limited. You got it?”
“Yes, Sir.” Will said it like he meant it, but there was a slight undertone of defiance in his voice that made me wary. He was clearly someone who was used to being on his own and not used to taking orders. I suddenly felt like my role on the journey to Albany would be as much about keeping him out of trouble as it would be avoiding trouble entirely. For the first time since Sam had invited him to go along, I had a bad feeling about the trip…and about Will Callahan.