Nathan Jones - Shortage

Later that afternoon they reached the bottom of Aspen Hill Canyon, making the trip that had taken them a bit over five days in a little under two. Trev supposed the difference lay in having extra people to share the load, as well as carrying a couple hundred less pounds of food and less ammo, some of which they’d used during their live fire practicing. The downhill trek and the sleds definitely did their part too. He might even have been willing to credit some of it to some of the muscle he and Lewis had built in the fall sticking around thanks to consistent exercise.

Before they’d gone too much longer they were greeted by Pete Childress on patrol. The young man excitedly shook hands all around, then radioed in about their arrival and handed the radio over to Matt so he could talk to the Mayor. After a bit of discussion they agreed to meet at the shelter to talk, and they left Pete behind to walk his route as they continued on.

Trev was surprised at how excited he was to be back, and over every hill they dragged the wagons around he craned his neck for his first view of the shelter. He caught sight of the smoke from it first, drifting lazily over the shorter of the two hills that bracketed it. They followed the dirt road around the hill, the same one they’d taken when they left, and there it was.

He paused and turned to grin at his cousin, who grinned back. They were home.

It didn’t feel 100% like home as they approached, mostly because the area in front of the shelter was full of the Larson clan busy at work doing laundry and other cleaning, including the partition curtains and the cots themselves. It was a good guess that when they knew the shelter’s owners were on their way back they decided to do some spring cleaning and try to have the place as nice as when they moved in.

Everyone paused to wave as they arrived, but Sam did more. The dark-haired woman had been up to her elbows in soapsuds, but as soon as she caught sight of her husband she broke away with a happy shout and bolted over to him, throwing her arms around his neck nearly hard enough to knock him off his feet. For his part Matt didn’t seem to mind the suds as he hugged his wife close.

Trev and Lewis had both already been introduced to Sam last fall, but even so Matt introduced her again. She seemed slightly reticent around them, at least until they offered her their heartfelt congratulations on the marriage and subjected Matt to a bit of lighthearted ribbing. After that she seemed to relax, and soon after the rest of Matt’s family arrived to welcome them back.

That welcome included fervent thanks for the use of their shelter and for the cache that had kept them alive that winter, as well as a few uncomfortable apologies about moving into the place without asking. Lewis was quick to give them the same assurances he’d given Matt, although he looked as uncomfortable with the overwhelming show of gratitude as Trev felt.

During the reunion Jane and Tom held back by the wagons, waiting for the Mayor to arrive. They stayed there as Trev and Lewis were pulled into the shelter so they could inspect it and rest assured that it was just like they’d left it. Actually Trev thought it might’ve been a bit cleaner and better organized now: Lewis was tidy enough, but he rarely subjected the shelter to any kind of deep cleaning. It looked as if they’d swept and even scrubbed the carpets. And the walls and ceiling! Even the stove looked as if it had been scoured.

In a way he almost felt bad, looking at the malnourished, sickly family who barely had energy for surviving. They’d worked hard to make up for their use of the shelter, and it had probably cost them strength they couldn’t afford to spare. The grand tour of the place took them past what little remained from his cache, probably not enough to last them another week even at the severely reduced rations they were keeping to.

Matt had also been looking at the food, and his friend actually had tears in his eyes as Trev met his gaze. Trev felt his own eyes stinging as he thought of what his friends might have suffered without that gift. What they had even with it. Matt seemed to be working himself to offer some thanks, but his eyes had already said everything that needed saying, and words couldn’t add anything.

Trev wanted to let his friend know that he never had to thank him for that gift, that it wasn’t a debt he’d ever need to repay. That the sight of all the Larsons alive when so many had died was all the reward Trev had ever wanted. But words were as useless for him as for his friend, so he simply gripped Matt’s shoulder firmly.

At that Matt turned away, wiping at his eyes, and Sam came over to hug him. When she looked at Trev her eyes expressed the same gratitude before she buried her face in her husband’s chest. Trev looked away to find all the Larsons, even the boys, looking at him and Lewis the same way, and he suddenly felt very awkward.

Luckily a rap on the door’s sheet metal exterior broke the mood, and they turned to find the Tillmans, the Watsons, and a few others grouped outside the door. Trev made his way over with Lewis and Matt, the others coming behind, and endured yet another round of hugs and handshakes before the Mayor got down to business.

Everyone was glad to have them back, but they were also very, very hungry.

Lewis led the way to the woodpile, much reduced after being used by the Larsons over the winter although not as much as it could’ve been, and got everyone’s help in shifting it to the side so they could get at what was beneath. When his cousin drew away the covering tarp to reveal the thirteen 50lb buckets remaining in the cache, along with Lewis’s .22 rifle, his shotgun, and the extra ammo they’d left behind along with a few other possessions too heavy or bulky to bring along, Trev saw disappointment flash across quite a few faces in the crowd, including Catherine’s.

Thirteen buckets was quite a bit for one or two people, but for an entire town it seemed a lot less. They’d been hoping for more.

Catherine was the first to find her voice. “You have food in your wag—”

“No,” Lewis said, politely but firmly. “Just this.”

Much as it pained him, Trev had to agree. They had about two-thirds this much food in the wagons, but it wouldn’t help the town much compared to the fact that it felt like the bare minimum of what he and his cousin needed.

The Mayor sighed. “It’s something at least.” She rested a hand on Lewis’s elbow. “Come on then, let’s talk business.” She led him and Matt off to the side for a quiet discussion.

While they were gone Trev hopped down to begin handing buckets up, putting aside his and his cousin’s other stuff to be brought back into the shelter. Some of his and Lewis’s ammo was compatible with the weapons Matt’s family was using, like Terry’s shotgun and Matt’s AR-15, and they could trade for ammo for the weapons they’d got from the bandits. Between all of it they were pretty well armed.

As he worked Tam Raymond leaned down to put a hand on his shoulder. “I bet you wish there was more here too,” she said quietly, by way of apology for the lack of enthusiasm. “But one or one hundred, we’re grateful.”

Trev did his best to smile up at her. “Let’s hope for good hunting and a good harvest.”

The Mayor shook Lewis’s hand, then hurried over and whispered in Chauncey’s ear. The retired teacher’s shoulders sagged. “You want your solar panels back,” he said to Lewis.

Rather than answering his cousin held up a hand and hurried around the hill, coming back a short while later with the bulky tarp-wrapped bundle from his wagon. He opened it up to pull out a panel from a road sign, revealing a dozen more inside and the hint of batteries at the bottom. “I’ve been busy during whatever warm days winter gave us,” he said with a smile.