Joshua Gayou - Commune - The Complete Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Box Set (Books 1-4)

Hesitantly, I reached out to take the bottle. It was ice cold to the touch. My expression must have been pretty comical because it caused Jake to smile and I shouted, “How the fuck?”

He shook his head, exasperated, and pointed at the bottle insistently. I put it to my lips and tilted it back, my perception of the world narrowing down to a pinpoint as I felt shockingly cold lager carrying the smallest of ice crystals roll over my tongue and swirl in the back of my mouth, beginning at once to foam. I swallowed hard, gulping it all down and burping almost immediately after, causing my eyes to water. Before I realized what was happening, I was chugging again, and Jake had his hand out to try and slow me down. I looked down at the bottle and saw it only had one swallow left swishing around in the bottom. Breathing heavily, I pulled the bottle back to my lips fast enough that the rim clacked painfully against my teeth, but I didn’t care. I had that ice cold, sweet-yet-bitter liquid rolling over my tongue again; all other concerns could just fucking wait.

I pulled the emptied bottle away from my lips, making a hollow popping sound from the suction, and growled out a satisfied, “Ahhh!”

“You alright?” Jake shouted into my ear.

I held the empty bottle out to him and yelled, “Again!”

He rolled his eyes and retrieved another from the cooler. The initial song seemed to be ending by the time he put the second bottle in my hand, so he jumped up onto the trailer and killed playback just as the final notes were dying in the air. The noise in the garage suddenly took on a hyperreal quality, as that otherworldly music was replaced by the much more familiar chattering and laughter of voices I recognized. Many people retained their position on the dance floor (which was really just a cleared out space on the concrete) and clapped loudly, shouting for more.

Jake put his hands up and waved them all quiet. When the commotion died down enough, he said, “Well, I guess I’d like to thank everyone for coming to my little party…”

Everyone in the room instantly broke into cheering laughter, and Oscar split the air with one of his ear-shattering whistles. Jake patiently waited for everyone to calm down again before continuing.

“That’s much appreciated, everyone, but you don’t have me to thank for this. It was all Gibs’s idea.”

“Alright Gibs!” shouted Otis, which fired everyone up again. I took a sip off my second beer, resolving to take it easy this time around, and resigned myself to the possibility that we’d all be here for a while.

“I want to apologize to you all,” Jake continued. Many people stopped cheering at that, and several shushing hisses filtered out from the group as everyone took the hint that the topic was about to become serious. “We’ve all been working so hard to get ready for this winter; it’s been such a concern on my mind, as I’m sure it has been on yours, that I think I forgot one of the most important components of human existence: being connected. Everyone has been working together so well, and we just haven’t taken the time to sit back and enjoy that success; that so many people from such diverse walks of life could all be dumped together in the midst of unimaginable tragedy and commit themselves to each other’s survival. I forgot that people sometimes need time to unwind and for that, I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”

For a moment, Jake stopped speaking and looked around. He seemed to be taking a head count as his eyes passed over each person. After a bit, he apparently found what he was looking for, as he called Wang up to the trailer and leaned down to whisper in his ear. When he finished, he stood back up again but kept his attention fixed on Wang, eyebrows raised and hopeful.

Wang rubbed his chin while his other hand rested on his hip, looking as though he was trying to settle on an important decision for which he liked neither option. Finally, he nodded to himself, looked back up at Jake, and said, “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll go.”

“Thank you, Wang,” Jake said as the other trotted out of the garage exit. As Wang left, Jake addressed himself to the rest of the group. “Diverse walks of life, indeed. We have teachers among us, and blue-collar folk who made things of beauty and utility with their own hands. Folks from academia, who bent their minds to complex, important social issues and concerns relevant to our times. Men and women of both thinking and action. Men and women who defended our society with their lives,” he looked at Monica and me as he said this, “along with men and women who enjoyed the security such sacrifice afforded and contributed back to the machine, thus paying back into the system in their own ways.

“The way I see it, the chief difference between then and now is that before, most of us never would have known each other because we lived in a world where people could easily wall themselves off if that was their desire. They could… well, they could live behind a screen.” He seemed to falter for a moment. He looked down at his hands, picking at his nails a moment uncertainly. Just before it became uncomfortable, there was movement over by the door, which caused Jake to look up and nod. He said, “Ah, here we are. Thanks for joining us.”

At the front of the garage, Fred entered uneasily, partially led by Wang, who stayed at his side. The rest of the people (men, women, and children) all went deathly silent and regarded the two as they moved across the floor, hardly daring to breathe. I realized I was breathing shallowly myself, wondering what the hell would come next.

Before anyone could speak, Fred said, “Need to apologize to you people. I, uh… well, there just ain’t no excuse for what I did. Guess I’ve had a way for a long time now. Got me in trouble some…” he trailed off, looking down at his feet. Without looking up again, he said, “I’m just sorry, is all. Don’t know what else to say.”

The room remained silent; silent enough that I could hear the low hum of no-sound leaking out from the speakers. I looked from face to face, seeing uncertainty and maybe a little anger in some places.

Wang was the first to speak up. “I’m good with it. Fred and I have talked, and I’m over it. And, I apologized to him as well, because I was being an insensitive prick.” He rested his hand on Fred’s shoulder, having to reach high up to do so. Fred seemed to straighten up a little from that simple point of contact. “I probably could have used a few more beatings growing up,” Wang continued. “But all that aside, I forgive Fred. And, seeing how I had the worst of it, it seems it won’t kill the rest of you to do the same.” He said the last part defiantly, almost daring anyone to tell him he was wrong.

They were silent a bit longer, a silence eventually broken by a grunt. We looked towards the source, which turned out to be Davidson. “Come on, guys, he looks miserable. I’m good with it.”

“Yeah, let’s call it squashed,” Oscar agreed, clearly wanting to put the uncomfortable moment behind us all and get back to the partying.

Fred looked up across the crowd to me, almost ignoring everyone else. “Gibs, I gave you a hell of a shot. You alright with this, too?”

I laughed. “I’ve had worse, big boy. Come over here and get yourself a cold one.”

“Whoa, cold one ?” called George. “Since when do we have cold beer?”

“Had the jenny running,” Jake said. “Let’s everyone get a drink, huh? Think we should have a toast or something.”

Everyone lined up temporarily by the cold box and grabbed a drink of their choice (the choices being beer, wine coolers, waters, or soda) and returned to their general positions in front of the makeshift stage. I noticed that Fred was now mingled in among them, absent the uncomfortable gap in space that would have been there only a moment before. Certain of the people continued to eye him suspiciously, though, and held themselves out on the edges; people like Edgar, Monica, and Alish. The kids stayed well away from him too, I noticed.