“Don’t mention it. You might have grown up a lonely kid, but you’re surrounded by family now. We’re all in this together.”
That thought filled him with dread. “Things are going to turn nasty.”
“Survival always does. These kids will get through it though. Kids have been enduring horrors since the moment mankind chucked its first spear. We need to show them that horror isn’t all there is. The monsters will come, and we’ll fight them, but it’s what we teach them afterwards that will matter most.”
“You’re right. I… need to be more than just a doctor. I used to be a person.”
“You still are. You’re the same comic book loving geek you’ve always been. Now try to get some sleep. Nothing more we can do tonight.”
Kamiyo got up from the well and ached his back. He felt a hundred years old. “Let’s hope our enemy sleeps too. If not, we’re in for a tiring fight.”
“You’re a real downer, you know that?”
“Yes. Yes, I do. Goodnight, Hannah.”
“Good night, Doc.”
32
TED
Ted slept poorly, and sometime before the sun rose, he gave up trying and left his tent to start work. As much as he still felt the pull of leaving, he had to admit that putting his skills to use was the most content he’d felt since the world ended. He was a simple builder again, starting at dawn and finishing when his body ached too much to go on. It was the first thing that made sense in a long time.
Today, he planned to begin his most ambitious project yet. Something that might help them when the enemy came to their gates. He had everything he needed, the thick trunk of an ash tree Frank’s team had felled, and a collection of recurve bows that had once been used to teach archery by the lake. The idea in his head was fuzzy, but he hoped it would clear up as he got to work. Once the others in the camp awoke, he would set them to digging a trench in front of the main gate, then shaping pikes to place along the main approach.
He worked in solitude for around an hour, fighting off the dewy morning chill with physical exertion. The world was silent and peaceful, the only sounds, other than fitful snores from the tents, came from the birds nestled in the forest. Their dawn arias were unchanged, the world no different for them than it had ever been. Whoever won the war between humanity and demons was of no import. Or perhaps they would welcome the end to the animal that had raped and stolen the land for so many thousands of years.
Once the snoring within the tents changed to the clearing of throats, Ted knew his solitude was at an end. The camp would soon erupt into life.
No longer needing to be quiet, Ted set about sawing the ash trunk into sections. He would need to find a way to plane them down into long poles once he was done, and it would be an arduous task whatever method he decided on.
Frank awoke first, scrambling out of his tent like a zombie. He nodded to Ted and exchanged a few words, then headed into the castle like he did every morning. The hearth would need lighting, and as Frank was not a morning person, he enjoyed getting right to work instead of chatting.
Others awoke within the following ten minutes, with the teenagers naturally being the ones refusing to rise until the last possible minute.
Jackie slept in the castle with most of the children, and she approached Ted now with a cup of tea. “We’re running out of tea bags,” she said. “So enjoy it.”
Ted nodded. A hot cuppa each morning was one of the few pleasures left in life, but everyone knew the cabin’s small canteen had possessed a finite supply. They’d already begun rotating green tea and earl grey in with the breakfast tea, and that swill was as disgusting as it had ever been.
Jackie scrutinised the thick ash tree half dissected by his saw. “What are you working on?”
“An idea,” he said. “Might not pan out, but he who dares…”
“You sound like Del Boy.”
Ted chuckled. “Let’s pretend I was quoting the SAS and not Fools and Horses. Thanks for the tea, you didn’t have to.”
“Nonsense. All the sweat you’ve given us…” She sighed and looked at him for a slightly disconcerting amount of time before speaking again. “You remind me a lot of my husband, you know?”
Ted didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him that Jackie might be married, especially after admitting she had a son, but it was a surprise, and he didn’t know how to respond. “Oh, I’m sorry; I didn’t realise. Did he, um…?”
“Get eaten by demons? No, cancer was the beast that ate my dear George. Ten years ago now. Colon cancer. Just bad luck really. He put off going to the doctors for far too long. He was thirty-nine.”
“That’s some shit luck. I’m sorry.”
“It was the worst time in my life. Perhaps it was a blessing though, my George not having to face this.”
“Maybe your husband dying is what made you so tough. You’re a survivor, Jackie.”
She blushed and had to glance at the ground. “Anyway, I was saying that you reminded me of my George. He was a glazier, had a small factory that produced windows and doors. Not a glamorous job, but he worked hard at it. The thing I loved about him most was his commitment. He believed there was no point doing anything unless you did it to the best of your ability. I can see you were both cut from the same cloth.”
Ted sipped his tea, disguising the fact he didn’t know what to say. He liked Jackie even if he wasn’t sure why. She wore her heart on her sleeve—the complete opposite of himself—but it made her easy to talk to—no second-guessing or ambiguity
