The Desolate
Chapter Twenty-One - Breathe

I was woken up the next morning by Ashe, who was lying in bed, gritting her teeth. Whatever painkillers she had taken for the leg the night before had worn off. Thankfully my wounds, while uncomfortable, were quite manageable. But for Ashe, all I could do was offer a reassuring embrace. “Are you okay? Can I do anything to help?” I asked.

“I’ll be okay,” she said through gritted teeth. “I think I must have slept on it badly.”

There was little to be done for the pain, so I just stayed with her holding her until it began to ease off. “I think it’s a good day for you to get some proper rest, and no more alcohol until it heals a little more.”

She glared at me and said, “I’m not sitting around doing nothing, Jack! Leave me the guns and equipment, and I’ll make sure it’s all cleaned properly so they’re ready to go if we need to leave in a hurry. Also, if you can get me your shirts, I'll repair them and clean them as well. Natalie has some equipment for it, so we might as well make the most of it.”

There was no sense of making an argument out of it, and if she was resting her leg, it was an acceptable compromise. Ashe was not one to sit and do nothing all day. It was one of the few things she was incredibly stubborn about. She did not cope well with boredom which I could very well relate to. It meant too much time to think which was rarely a good thing. So, after a moment of consideration, I said, “Alright, I’ll be giving Natalie a hand around the house and with the garden today, so the help would be appreciated. But if it gets too much, just stop, we won’t get far if you don’t heal properly.”

She nodded once and shuffled closer in bed, resting her head in the crook of my shoulder. The sun was beginning to peak over the walls of the town, so it was time to get moving. But her affection always made me dread leaving her even just for a few hours.

There was a light knock on the door a few minutes later. “Come in,” Ashe replied, the pain still registering in her tone.

Natalie opened the door enough to say, “Time to get up, kids. The kettle is boiling, and I sent Millie to gather some eggs for breakfast!”

“Eggs?” Ashe asked curiously, “What kind?”

“We have chickens out back, so hopefully we get lucky since Matt’s here as well! You have five minutes, or I let the dogs inside.”

“Dogs?” I looked up, raising an eyebrow, “Not just Smoke?”

“Yes, dogs! They're all tame. Your father loved German Shepherds and we bred and trained them for additional security,” she explained. “Now hurry up or you won’t just have Smoke diving on the bed I will let Shadow’s puppies in to terrorize the whole room.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Ashe joked, earning a warm smile from Natalie who offered a wink before turning and closing the door behind her.

It was still a shock to the system, nowhere kept them these days, and while Smoke seemed like a beautiful creature, I couldn't quite see the utility just yet. I was still a little uncomfortable at the idea of having them around, but it was Natalie's house. I helped Ashe up out of bed, getting her into some clean clothes before heading out into the living area. Natalie was in the small kitchen, making tea and singing an unfamiliar tune to herself in a warm, slow melody. When she saw us, she pointed to a table next to the bedroom door where she had set out some clean clothes. “I’m guessing you don’t carry many clothes on the road, so I took the liberty of gathering some of your Father’s to wear. Ashe honey, there are a few of Amy’s old clothes there as well. Most of them are old world, but they are still in good condition.”

Ashe moved over to the pile and moved her hand over the different fabrics. Clean, pressed, and folded clothes were very rare these days and something I had only experienced a few times in one of the hotels in New Alice. “Thank you,” Ashe said as she hobbled over to the older woman, pulling her into a hug.

“You are most welcome, sweetheart,” Natalie said, before looking at me. “And yes, that was a not-so-subtle hint, Jack. Please change because your clothes stink.”

I took one of the shirts and a change of pants, and went back into the room, returning moments later feeling odd and uncomfortable.

“Also, if you want to wash up and trim your hair and beard, there are some communal bathrooms behind the farmhouse with plenty of running water,” Natalie added. “I’ll have Matt show you a little later.”

Matt came into the house just as she said his name, taking off the wide-brim hat and moving over to embrace his mother. “Hey, guys,” he said to Ashe and me. Leaning in to shake my hand in the familiar old-world style.

“Good morning, Matthew,” Natalie said as she handed him a cup of tea, then did the same for Ashe and me before moving over to the living area and sitting down. There were several empty bottles of wine and other alcohol left on the table, which she moved out of her way.

When Millie came in from the rear of the house moments later, Natalie glared at her, pointing to the bottles. “Can you please take bottles outside and clean them for Anthony and Chloe to collect.” Millie nodded, placing a dozen eggs in the kitchen before cleaning the mess that the two girls had created the night before. Natalie turned to Ashe and explained, “Anthony is my daughter’s partner. They make wine and other drinks for the town. He makes some amazing whisky and wants to set up an old-world-style bar for the town sometime soon. Michael used to tell him stories about them, so it got him interested in the idea.”

“That’s an interesting thought,” I offered, remembering my time in New Alice and the bars that had been set up there. It seemed almost a lifetime ago now, but they were good for offering people a place to socialize.

“Yeah, he makes great beer as well,” Matt said. “We will have to have a few one of these days when the latest batch is ready.”

“Friday at the earliest!” Natalie said, “I had a look for him yesterday morning, it still needs a little more time.”

It was a pleasant morning getting to know Matt, Millie, and Natalie properly. But it was soon time for work. Matt was kind enough to show me the bathrooms that Natalie had mentioned, and after cleaning myself up a little, I returned to the cabin to help Natalie in the garden. We worked to lay several more garden beds to help produce some additional food for Ashe and me, spending most of the morning plowing through the soft topsoil and planting a host of different crops. Once finished, Natalie took me out to a small workshop, showing me where John once made heavy-duty boots for the community, but now she mostly just used the tools to sharpen blades and repair tools as needed.

“If you want you are welcome to use this space, I don’t make much out here anymore,” Natalie explained. “So, if you have anything you want to repair or make, feel free to use the tools as needed, just try to keep it organized. They were mostly your fathers anyway.”

I nodded my thanks, contemplating what I could possibly contribute to the community that they didn’t already have. It was something to consider if we were to stay for any length of time. But I still had other things I needed to consider before allowing myself to get too comfortable. Afterward, Natalie led me around to the cages behind the workshop, which housed a dozen full-grown German Shepherds in individual cages. They were truly beautiful and most sat watching as Natalie walked casually into each cage and handled the animals with such ease. I approached Smoke's cage and greeted the animal, allowing him to lick my fingertips through the wire, and explained to Natalie, “On the road, particularly in the mountains, these things were a constant threat, often more than zombies, they move in large packs through the forests. But these guys are so different, a little smaller than the wild dogs, and much more at ease with human contact.”

“I can imagine. Dogs were everywhere in the old world, it’s not a surprise that some of them found a way to survive.” Natalie came out of the final cage and smiled warmly, summoning me over to her. And since it was daylight this time, I approached and spotted one of the dogs, a large female on her side, allowing six small puppies to feed. “Come in,” Natalie whispered, leading me into the cage.

The female looked up at me with a slightly confused and cautious expression, which I took to be more a lack of familiarity than anything else. But when Natalie reached forward to scratch the animal on the head, she gently closed her eyes and wagged her tail slightly. I stood back wearily, watching the puppies feed and the ease that the dog felt with Natalie so close to her young, fascinated by the sight of it.

Then the strangest thing happened, one of the puppies stepped away from its mother and approached me confidently, sniffing my shoes before looking up at me and sitting to attention, wagging its tail as its eyes locked onto mine. It could not have been much taller than the top of my boot, it simply watched me waiting for me to do something.

Natalie smiled warmly, and said, “I think you have been chosen, Jack.”

I knelt down to the puppy, reaching out to touch its head gently, allowing it to sniff my hand. It wagged excitedly, before jumping up to lick my fingers. I smiled, as I finally understood the fascination. I could see why these things were so adored by the old world, they were loyal, and they were implicitly trustworthy companions to those they cared for. Suddenly the utility made a whole lot more sense. I smiled at the small dog, which only seemed to excite it more as it spun around almost dancing before returning to its siblings as if trying to get them all to play.

“When that little girl is old enough to leave her mother, she’s yours,” Natalie said warmly. She seemed to be relishing this moment, and the joyful smile on her face told me that she had nothing but love for these creatures. “What would you name her?” she asked as if naming an animal was the most normal thing in the world.

“I have never named anything before,” I said with a shrug.

“Yes, but if this little one is going to come with you, she will need a name to respond to.”

“Respond to?” I asked skeptically.

“Yes, they respond to it once they know it, the name is not just for us.” Natalie stood up, walked out of the cage, and approached the dog in the next cage over. She spoke firmly to the almost black male dog from the night before that was waiting expectantly for her to enter, it was nearly as tall as Natalie’s hips. “Smoke!” Her tone was commanding, and the dog’s ears perked as if he were a soldier standing at attention, and the animal that had been so ready to play and socialize the night before was suddenly awaiting her command. She took him through a list of simple one-word instructions that the dog complied with each time. What’s more, he seemed to relish and enjoy this ‘game’ with his human companion. The same small puppy had once again made its way over to me, sitting next to my foot and watching the demonstration intently.

Ashe’s voice called out from the end of the cages, “Natalie, you have a visitor!”

“Okay, I’ll be right there!” She replied. The puppy followed me out of the cage, staying close to my feet, making its mother a little nervous as we neared the end of the caged area. Instinctively I stopped to wait. Then Natalie seemed to understand and she rushed over to let her out so she could stay with her infant. “C’mon Shadow,” she said warmly to the dog.

The puppy’s mother followed us out into the yard, walking with the smaller dog between me and its mother. I don't know what it was that made their body language so easy to read. And that ease of communication and implicit trust suddenly took on a whole different meaning. These weren’t just companions; they could be reliably used in many ways. The puppy certainly seemed attached to my heel and its mother simply followed and kept an eye on it, still not fully trusting me. So I paused and introduced myself to her instinctively allowing her to sniff my hand. After a few seconds, her tail started to wag, and she seemed satisfied that I wouldn't hurt the smaller dog which still seemed glued to my side. I looked down at the little one suddenly inspired to name it, and said, “Amy!” to the puppy who seemed to get overly excited by the mere sound of the word.

Natalie stopped and looked up at me until she realized what I was doing. Smiling and giving me a small nod of approval.

I nodded once and walked towards the rear of the cabin, summoning the puppy to follow. “Come,” I said gently, which got the little one so excited that she spun around before running after me, quickly catching up and walking beside my left ankle.

Inside, a young man was seated in the living area that I hadn’t met before. And the puppy moved behind my leg and snarled. Shadow glared at him as well before moving into the room and sitting as far as she could from him. “Fuck off, mutt,” he said dismissively to the puppy and its mother. He was tall, and slim with dark hair, though his skin was far too well cared for to be a laborer of any sort.

“Sean,” Natalie growled as she walked into the cabin, her mention of the man’s name enough of a warning to pull him into line. “Please be respectful of my house, and my guests,” she said firmly.

The young man rolled his eyes and pulled out a bottle that hissed when he opened it. “Yes, mother... Beer?” he offered, seeming to ignore Ashe who hobbled over and embraced me in her arms before we sat down on one of the lounge chairs together.

“No, thanks,” I said appreciatively as the little puppy put her paw up on my leg as if asking for an introduction to Ashe. The moment Ashe saw the dog, she smiled. I felt a little silly when I said jokingly, “Amy, this is Ashe! Ashe, this is Amy!” Thinking it was ridiculous to make introductions for a dog. But the little puppy replied with a wag of its tail before approaching Ashe and gently sniffing her leg. Ashe sat on one of the double chairs and invited Amy up who dutifully obliged. But she was gentle and weary of stepping on Ashe’s wound, sniffing her bandages before gently lounging beside her, still on alert with the presence of Sean. I could not help but delight in the creature’s intelligence and understanding.

Sean said, “I’ve never liked dogs,” As he swallowed a mouthful of beer. “They don’t like me, and I don’t like them.”

I shrugged. “I’ve never met a domesticated dog until yesterday, and they seem like beautiful creatures to me!”

“Never?” Natalie asked.

“No, the only dogs that I have found until now have been wild, as I said earlier,” I smiled as Ashe gently scratched the puppy on its back while sitting calmly with her, gently licking her leg just above the bandage before letting out a small yawn and resting its head on her thigh lightly. The empathy expressed by the puppy was not lost on Ashe either.

“Jack, she is so beautiful,” Ashe said warmly.

“She is a beautiful creature,” I admitted, gently scratching the puppy behind the ear as I put my arm around Ashe. Summoning Shadow over and introducing Ashe to Amy's mother. She was weary of Sean, but she seemed happy to meet Ashe and carefully sat down on the floor by her feet, her eyes barely moving from Sean.

“So, Jack, is it?” He asked. “Apparently, we are brothers or some shit. Personally, I don’t know about all that blood family crap, but I guess time will tell, won’t it?”

“I guess it will!” I said calmly. The conversation never really improved and with the air of tension in the room, Sean finished his bear and left.

The evening was a relatively quiet family gathering with Chloe and Andrew joining us for a meal with the rest of my siblings, minus Sean. But Millie joined us again, and she was just as smitten with Amy as Ashe was. Introductions were brief, and the get-together was a little overwhelming for me if I’m honest, so I went out back to sit and drink on my own for the most part. Amy joined me, sitting quietly as she leaned against my foot while I sipped a glass of whisky, reflecting on everything that had happened, and the things I may soon have to do to keep this place safe, to keep my family safe. The last few weeks had changed my life forever, they'd given me a reason to live, and it seemed that it was all catching up to me that evening. Ashe managed to hobble out to sit next to me, careful not to disturb Mya, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on my foot.

“Are you okay?” Ashe whispered.

“Yeah, I’m good, it’s just a lot to take in that’s all.”

Ashe put an arm around me, squeezing tightly as the sunlight faded on another day. We had found somewhere to stop and rest at last, a place where we might have a chance at replaceing peace, maybe. I picked up Amy gently, and sat her between us, though she didn't seem to have any energy left, barely opening her eyes before falling back to sleep almost as soon as her head contacted my thigh.

Hope and loyalty were things I had rarely experienced. But they were things I seem to have found in Ashe and now with this small creature now seated between us. Ashe rested her head on my shoulder as we sat in silence, enjoying the night air on a warm summer evening in what was our new home at least for the time being. Healing and preparing for the inevitable war that would certainly come.