Mad Swine (Book 2): Dead Winter (13 page)

Lara woke me around six. It was still dark outside and probably would be for another hour before sun finally rose in the east. She bent down next to me and kissed my cheek, her hair tickling my face. I put my arms around her and embraced her tightly before finally letting her go.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” she said. “Coffee’s ready if you want a cup.”

“I want,” I said as I pulled myself up onto one elbow. I watched as she bent and picked up her clothes from the floor beside the fireplace and folded them neatly, placing each on the back of the chair where we made love just hours ago. She wore a thick white robe with the belt cinched tightly around her midsection. I loved the way the robe accentuated her curves.

Pulling the blanket around my nude body like a makeshift toga, I stood up and stretched, feeling a slight soreness in my shoulders and neck. I wandered into the kitchen yawning as I went and found the coffee carafe—a stainless steel job—sitting in the center of the table. Lara had already put out mugs and a crystal sugar bowl.

I poured a cup of the fresh brew and scooped two spoons of sugar in, swirling the black liquid around in the cup. I took my first sip and smiled; it was nice to have sugar in my coffee again I just couldn’t help but beam.

Lara came up behind me and put her arms around me and laid her head against the middle of my shoulders. When she spoke, I could feel her lips move against my back. “You should get dressed, mister. Council meeting, remember? Can’t keep the natives waiting.”

Turning slightly, I put my arm around her shoulder and leaned forward for another kiss, this time on the lips. “They can wait a few more minutes.”

“If you say so. I’m going to get dressed. When you finish your coffee, your clothes are on the chair by the fireplace.”

She winked at me, grabbed my cheeks between both of her hands and planted another kiss on me before walking away, probably to her room to pick out her clothes. I watched her walk away and then took another drink of coffee. It was starting to get cold already but the sweet black liquid still hit the spot.

Still nude with only the thin blanket wrapped around me, I now became aware of the temperature in the house. It was getting downright cold. Taking my cup, I went to the living room and checked Lara’s wood supply. She had several bundles of wood still stacked in the iron log rack. She had enough to get by for several more days.

I downed the rest of the lukewarm coffee, set the mug on the fireplace mantel, and got dressed. The fire was still clinging to life and producing some warmth, for which I was grateful. My underwear and jeans were quite warm when I slid into them. Once I had my boots on I felt less exposed and ready to face the world we now lived in.

Lara reappeared dressed in black jeans, a red and black checked flannel shirt, a black fleece sweater and a black knit hat. She wore a black parka; a red scarf hung loosely around her shoulders. She, too, was apparently ready to face the world.

We loaded up our gear—Lara dropped a baggie full of Honey Nut Cheerios into my back pack so I’d have breakfast—and took up our weapons. Lara still carried the Mosin M44 slung over her right shoulder; I carried my splitting maul. Before leaving, Lara fussed over me, pulling up the zipper of my coat and telling me to put my hat on before we went out. She so much reminded me of my wife.

“So how do we play this?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Are we…I don’t know…dating?”

“I think we moved beyond the dating stage last night, mister, don’t you?”

I nodded my head. We had gone to home plate; definitely not first date stuff, at least not for me, and apparently not for her either. “So…how should I act when I see you out there? What if I have a strong urge to kiss you?”

She thought about my question for a moment, her head cocked slightly to the right. The splash of freckles on her nose and cheeks were adorable. Finally she said, “If the urge strikes you, go for it, and I think I’ll do the same. In this world, you have to take what you want. If you wait for something, it will be gone before you know it.”

As usual, Lara was right. I took a kiss and then I patted her on the butt before racing out of the house.

* * *

This morning the CP was empty but the council table was full. Even Ray was at the table. Before we got started, I asked Lara to introduce Brian’s new friends around the community and to take them along on her on morning rounds. Wesley agreed to also accompany Lara, as long as he could take Cody. Although unusual the last several months, we locked the doors and put up our “Council Meeting in Session” signs.

Brian pulled in a metal folding chair from the garage and sat to my left, both of us sharing the head of the table. For the first time in months I saw eagerness in everyone’s eyes, that same sense of spirit we all had in the beginning when we believed our difficult days were behind us and that soon we’d be saved. We had been naïve; of that I have no doubt.

Standing, I cleared my throat and waited a moment for everyone to quiet. When I had their full attention I said, “I know we are all anxious to hear from Brian—I know I certainly am—but I want everyone to just listen and save your questions. Let him tell us what he has to tell us first, okay?”

Heads nodded eagerly in agreement and with that I turned the group over to Brian. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, secured with a piece of black shoelace. He looked tired; the dark circles under his eyes and the slack look to his face told me he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. After our discussion, I could only assume he had lay awake all night thinking about what he would say to these folks. I had no idea, either, but I trusted my brother would do what was best for everyone. Perhaps I was still naïve even after these long, hard months.

“It’s good to see you all again,” Brian said. “Yes, even you, Ray.” Ray’s lips parted in a big smile and everyone at the table let out nervous laughter.

Surprising us all, Ray joked, “I missed you, too. Now that you’re back I can resume my place as the second biggest asshole around here.”

More laughter from around the table; I could see my brother had already engaged his audience. Brian laughed with them, reminding them that he was just one of them.

“Well played, friend,” Brian said. “Looks like some things haven’t changed. I thought absence was supposed to make the heart grow fonder…”

“That’s only true if you stay gone, son,” Paul chimed in.

“Shit, tell me how you really feel, Mr. Dazzo,” Brian said.

“I thought I just did!” Paul shot back, not missing a beat.

Everyone laughed again and Paul had a bit of a coughing jag. Ravi had to bring him a glass of water to get him to calm down. “That’s enough, please,” she said. “He’s going to rupture something.”

“My apologies,” my brother said. He bent and picked up his back pack from where it lay beside him and set it on the table. “Before I get started, I have something for each of you. I realize I missed Christmas, but I was thinking about you all while I was out there on the road and I picked up a few things along my travels that I’d like to give to each of you.”

“Now he’s trying to buy our good graces,” Al Sanchez said. His thick stomach bounced when he laughed.

Ignoring Al’s comment, Brian dug into his bag and then turned to Paul and presented him with a set of architect pens complete with tin case. “Paul, I know it’s not much, but I thought you could use these pens for drawing up your diabolical plans.”

I watched as Paul accepted the gift, turning the black box over in his hands. On the front in silver letters were the words Faber Castell. When Paul flipped back the lid he revealed a set of forty-eight Pitt brush pens in a multitude of colors.

“These are fantastic,” Paul said and shook Brian’s hand. “Thank you, son.”

“Enjoy them,” Brian said and clapped Paul on the back. Taking his bag with him as he moved, he walked around Paul and stood next to Ray who looked up at him with a mix of suspicion and hope on his face.

“And here is a little something for the second biggest asshole.” Brian pulled out three packages of Winston cigarettes. The hard packs were still wrapped in cellophane. He placed them down on the table in front of Ray. “Smoke up, buddy!”

“You’re a life saver,” Ray said and grabbed my brother’s hand and shook it fiercely. “I haven’t had a cigarette in about a month. You a goddamn saint, you know that?”

“Let’s not go overboard,” Brian said. Moving again, my brother now stood beside Stanley. Like Santa delivering gifts to all the good boys and girls, Brian reached into his bag and produced three sets of reading glasses which he placed on the table in front of Stan.

“So you can still look like a dork when you’re reading Jayne Eyre, professor.”

Everyone laughed at that, Stanley included. He swiped up the glasses and began examining them, a big smile on his face.

Next Brian stopped in front of Kat. Once again he dipped into his bag of goodies and came up with a rather large folding knife which he placed down on the table in front of her.

“A Zero Tolerance knife for the lady with zero tolerance.”

Kat picked up the knife and flicked the blade open with a quick flick of her finger. The satin finish blade was thick and formidable.

“And moving right along,” Brian said, and pretended to run away with his eyes opened wide when Kat flicked the knife open, and I was pleased to see her smile at his subtle joke.

“I’ll kill one of those walking bags of meat with this in your honor,” Kat said, playing her part as the ice maiden.

“That’s so sweet,” Brian said. Now it was Sam’s turn. My brother presented her with what appeared to be a notebook. “This is for keeping inventory. And here’s something to write in it with.” Brian also handed her a package of Dr. Grip pens.

Sam smiled and held up the book so that we could all see it. The front read GREAT MARK REPORT PAD. She flipped through some of the pages. “It’s a real inventory book!”

Next, Brian presented Reverend Reggie with a leather bound bible. The orange-colored leather was dimpled, like a basketball. A simple inlayed cross was stamped into the front cover. Reggie flipped the book open and leafed through a few pages before looking up at Brian.

“This is a Protestant bible. Not very many around here, thank you.”

Brian shrugged his shoulders as if he had no clue what type of bible it was. “Should read the same as any other bible, right?”

Al looked up at Brian when he stopped next to him. The magic bag revealed a fifth of Knob Creek. “How much of your good graces will this buy?”

“As much as you need,” Al said, snatching up the bottle and looking over the label. “Stop by later and we’ll drink it together.”

“Sounds good, brother.”

Finally, Brian took his seat next to me and put his bag on the floor beside his feet. Everyone’s eyes turned to us to see what my brother had gotten for me.

“Oh, yeah,” Brian said as if he’d forgotten. He dipped into his bag one last time. “For you, bro.”

He handed me a wristwatch. I turned it over in my hand and looked down at the vintage Rolex Submariner. It was in fantastic condition, the brushed finish slightly dulled with age. The second hand started to move smoothly around the matte black dial when I gave the watch a quick shake.

“This is beautiful,” I said, quite stunned by this gift.

“A watch is a watch, right?”

I stared at the Rolex for a few more seconds before finally taking off my Seiko and sliding the it onto my wrist in its place. It was a tad loose, but it fit well.

“Looks good on you, dude.”

“Thank you, man.” I put a hand on my brother’s shoulder and said, “I’ve been wanting a watch like this for as long as I can remember. I never could justify spending the five grand for an old watch with Alyssa.”

There was a brief moment of silence around the table as everyone looked over their new items. Ray had removed one pack from the carton and was tapping it against the palm of his hand. Promptly he pulled one out and lit it up. To my surprise, he even passed the pack around the table, offering his precious smokes to his fellow council members. Only Al and Brian took one, but the gesture was not lost on me. As I watched the folks around the table talk about their gifts, I realized Brian had taken great consideration in what he’d chosen to give. He had not given these gifts out of kindness, or because he had been bitten by the Christmas spirit, but rather to serve his agenda, whatever that might be.

Not to look a gift-horse in the mouth, but I found myself wondering where my brother had secured these items.

After lighting his own cigarette, Brian inhaled deeply and let out a cloud of smoke. “So, let me tell you about my winter vacation. I’m sure you will all have questions, but please let me tell my tale and I’ll let you ask your questions when I’m all done. I’ll probably even answer a few. Deal?”

“We’re all agreed,” I said. “Go ahead. We’re all ears.”

“After leaving home, I stayed on Route 20 mostly, all the way until it ends. You all know after Reggie’s church and the small crop of luxury homes to our west there’s pretty much just farms spread out here and there until you reach Hampshire where they have a few fast food joints and a quick mart.