'Yes. Everything looks beautiful tonight.'
She placed her head against his shoulder and said, 'Sometimes it's hard to believe that it’s such a dangerous, new world.'
'And I give it to you.'
'Hmmm, what a nice thought.'
He turned her and found those blue eyes.
'It is what we make it. That’s what we’re doing now, you know; making the world over.'
She drew a serious curl in her brow.
'There’s something you need to know, Trevor Stone.'
He raised an eyebrow. 'Oh?'
'I love you. I mean, for real.' She quickly placed a hand over her mouth to suppress a hiccup. 'Oh, and I’m a little tipsy, too.'
He laughed. 'Me too.'
'You’re tipsy, too?'
'Yeah,' he admitted. 'And I love you, too. For real.'
They kissed in front of the tapestry of a moonlit winter night.
– The sweet dreams of New Year faded and the reality of winter set in.
January and February were tough. The freeze-dried food stocks dwindled causing the farms to slaughter more animals and K9s to hunt wild game.
In January, the first flu bug swept through. Trevor spent three days in bed with a fever. Nina managed to suffer only sniffles. A middle-aged resident died, infuriating Johnny who felt that with better medical facilities the man would not have succumbed.
A second bug hit stomachs. Evan Godfrey bravely led an expedition to ransack drug stores for medications that helped ease the suffering.
In February came a brief thaw followed by an arctic blast and snow squalls.
Ice fishing and book swapping became popular but they were not the number one pass time. Trevor felt certain that soon Lori would not be the only one pregnant. He also noted Dante and Kristy Kaufman spending time together.
In early April, spring arrived in earnest with the first thunderstorm. A few weeks later, the geese returned. Trevor resumed long-range patrols that month, resulting in the discovery of more survivors alive in conditions ranging from subsistence to relative luxury, yet they all eagerly joined the estate and willingly accepted the hierarchy.
They returned to Wilkes-Barre in force, and this time did not leave. Stone created an operations center in the Luzerne County Courthouse, basing a rapid response force there.
Much to Johnny’s delight, they cleared General Hospital. Despite a well-looted pharmacy, the hospital remained in surprisingly good condition. The doctor-turned-Reverend established a training program for nurses and medics.
The armory in Kingston yielded a gold mine of ordnance, fuel, vehicles, and small arms while a Marine tactical air support wing based north of Kingston held spare parts for the helicopters and aviation fuel.
Police stations offered treasure troves of ammunition, ballistic armor, and weapons. Gun shops, hardware stores, and sporting goods outlets yielded additional bounty.
Families re-occupied neighborhoods while barter centers and supply depots opened in vacant shopping centers. A farmers market of sorts sprung to life on Public Square.
Wilkes-Barre became, in humble ways, a city again. A human city patrolled by Grenadiers sniffing out danger.
Trevor painted the commandeered Redcoat shuttles he nicknamed ‘Eagles’ white and then trained people to fly them, starting with three experienced pilots from Prescott’s group. Nina wanted to learn but Trevor kept her focused on training new recruits and conducting patrols with the promise that her chance would come.
Meanwhile, Omar improved the Eagle air ships by installing improved radar and communications gear.
Furthermore, technicians worked long hours to bring an old coal-fired electricity plant on line intermittently to power Wilkes-Barre and its suburbs. The legacy of mining in the valley had left behind massive anthracite piles, more than enough to keep the plant running for months.
All the while refugees poured in.
The Poconos-to the east and southeast of Wilkes-Barre-proved fertile ground for finding intact families. In that rural region, it had been possible to hunt enough game to survive while a plethora of streams provided clean drinking water as well as fish.
On May 15, Lori Brewer announced that five hundred people had registered as part of the greater 'estate'. Evan Godfrey might have known each of them by name.
While humanity’s comeback continued for the survivors, the comeback of humanity in both Trevor and Nina blossomed as well.
He found the other bookend to his life. She could finish his sentences and he could do the same for her. They changed from new love to lovers to a couple. One day Trevor paid her what she knew to be the ultimate compliment: not only did he love her, but he liked her.
He liked playing racquetball with her. He enjoyed introducing her to classic movies such as Twelve Angry Men and Forbidden Planet. She taught him how to horseback ride and improved his marksmanship.
Some nights he needed to be something other than a leader. Just as had happened after the destruction of the gateway, Nina could comfort him during his rare times of indecision or guilt or sadness, or even when nightmares of his torture at the The Order invaded his dreams.
Nina needed to drop the front of the tough soldier once in a while. Sometimes she wanted to be a little Princess; sometimes she wanted to fold into his arms and forget about fighting and killing for a while.
He could do that. He was the only person who ever could. Without him, she feared she would become the quiet, icy introvert who could only find purpose in combat.
The first half of the New Year served as the calm eye of the hurricane.
June marked the one-year anniversary since the end of the world. June also brought war and misery.
The powers of Armageddon had noticed them.
The legions were coming.
Trevor had survived. He had begun to fight. Now came time to sacrifice.
29. Gathering Thunderheads
'Easy does it,' Trevor cautioned.
'This is…this is…,' Nina searched for words. 'I mean, it feels like I’m flying. Like it’s me moving through the air.'
She sat in the pilot’s chair wearing oversized navigation goggles. Through them, Nina saw the landscape passing below as if her eyes watched from the front of the captured shuttle.
Dante’s voice over the radio cut the lesson short.
'Eagle One, you copy? This is Home Plate.'
Trevor responded, 'We read you. What’s happening?'
'We need you to do an aerial recon.'
'Home Plate, that’s a negative, we’re on a training mission. Dunston and Bragg are up in Two and Three doing patrols. Call them.'
Dante’s voice wavered: 'Both Two and Three are doing recons in other areas.'
'Where?'
'Eagle Two is on its way over the mountains and east to Blakeslee. Dunston is to the south below Hazleton.'
Trevor sighed and said, 'Okay, where do you need us?'
'Could you head north above Scranton to the Mid-Valley area?'
