“Frankly, neither would I. Let me ask you something, Skeeter. If I left the village, what would happen to me?”
“Willa told you ‘bout the perimeter?”
“She did.”
“There’s your answer. You’d best not step outside of it without authorization unless you want to end up in the cemetery.”
Fergus had figured out early on that Skeeter’s hillbilly talk ebbed and flowed. He still didn’t know why.
“What if I do so out of concern for your people?”
“That might change things a bit.”
“You know everything that goes on here, yes?”
“’Bout as much as anyone, I reckon.”
“You know the area as well? I mean beyond the holler?”
“I reckon so. Like I told ya when I met ya, I never been out of the holler, but that don’t mean I ain’t seen pictures and maps. She called some of ‘em Google aerial images. Serena Jo brought a lot of stuff with her besides matches when she came home from Knoxville.”
“Do you know of any buildings in the area? Say within a five-mile radius?”
“Don’t know about buildings, but there’s Tremont to the north.”
“How far away is it?”
“Farther than five miles.”
“Anything to the south of Tremont?”
Skeeter pondered the question. “Seems like I remember seeing some of them storage buildings, the commercial type. A big grouping of ‘em.”
“That makes sense.”
“What about it makes sense?”
“I can’t tell you. Your granddaughter will know I broke the oath.”
Skeeter nodded. “Did she see something? Don’t answer with words. I don’t need ‘em.”
Fergus stood mute and motionless. He didn’t even transmit via his scythen. That seemed like oath-breaking too.
“Got it.” The old man said with a sigh a minute later.
“Got what?”
“An idear of what she saw. Some kind of flying camera thing.”
Fergus pretended to be shocked. “How did you know that?”
“Can’t explain it. Don’t ask me about it anymore, neither. So you reckon you’ll sneak out of the holler and go investigate those buildings? You think it came from there?”
He couldn’t say Willa had told him she had been adventuring to the north. He probably didn’t need to.
Fergus nodded.
“It’s times like these I miss my pipe,” the old man said, shifting against the porch railing. “There’s something halcyon about pondering life while puffing on a baccy pipe.”
Red wiry eyebrows lifted in surprise.
“I learned it from Willa. That girl’s got the best words. Serena Jo says there ain’t room for a baccy field. Gotta use all the nearby fertile soil for food.”
“That’s a shame. I occasionally enjoy a smoke as well.”
“Back to the problem. If you’re asking for my advice, you should go to Serena Jo. Lay it out for her as best you can without breaking the oath — I’ll back ya up — and go from there. It ain’t worth getting caught in the perimeter and ending up in the cemetery. She’s intimidating, but she’s reasonable. You can win her over with logic every time.”
“Very well.”
“She should have put the kids to bed by now. This would be a good time.”
Fergus nodded, then stepped off the porch. It was full dark and the twinkling lanterns were flickering out one by one. Kerosene was a rationed commodity and used sparingly. According to Skeeter, when it was gone, they would resort to rendered animal fat. Fergus had lived in a world lit by primitive methods. The village wouldn’t smell so pleasant when they burned fat for fuel.
When Fergus reached Serena Jo’s house — not the largest or nicest in the village — he found her leaning against a porch railing just like her father moments earlier. Her lantern still glowed. Its illumination kept the night at bay while airbrushing the angular face into a softer version of its daytime counterpart. The leader of Whitaker Holler looked more approachable now than she ever had.
He would not be lulled by the lantern’s visual alchemy.
“Were you expecting someone?” Fergus said, keeping his voice low.
“No. What can I do for you?”
“I’d like to have a word with you, in private.” He gestured toward the children inside.
She nodded, unhooked the lantern, and stepped off the porch. “This way.”
She navigated the darkened village as gracefully as Willadean had the forest earlier. But this wraith was taller, shapelier, and boasted an impressive cleavage and legs that seemed almost as long as he was tall.
“Mmmm...”
“Did you say something?” she said from a few feet ahead.
“No, no. Just thinking about baseball.”
She stopped at the same flat rock he had shared with Willadean earlier that day, then sat on its surface, arms folded, sneakers extended. The dark forest presented an ominous backdrop; the lantern’s glow transformed her face into still yet another version. Fergus imagined Maleficent horns extending from the fair head.
“What’s on your mind?” she said. Her owlish eyes never seemed to blink.
“I have concerns about outsiders in the vicinity.”
“Why?”
This would be the tricky part. “You know how your father gets gut feelings about people?”
The eyes narrowed. She nodded.
“I get them too. And they’re almost always right. My gut tells me there’s something to the north that needs to be investigated. I’m offering my services.”
“Why would you put yourself in danger?”
“In a short time, I’ve become rather attached to this place and its people. I don’t want anyone or anything to harm either. Pockets of humanity like this will bring us back from the brink of extinction. You’re doing everything right here. You should be proud of all you’ve accomplished.”
“I don’t respond well to flattery.”
“It’s true, though.”
“How do I know you aren’t planning to escape and take our secrets with you? Maybe you’re a spy, sent here to discover what we have, so your group can raid us later.”
Fergus snorted. He wished he could say that was the first
