The stock shelves that once sat in the middle of the floor had been shoved against the walls and crammed with old books and board games. In the center of the room, mix matched tables and chairs filled the small area. Each table held an unlit hurricane lantern. The only light came from the lantern on the bar.
“Nice place,” Rain said as she heaved the suitcase onto the counter. She meant it. The bar had a homey vibe like the pictures she’d seen of pubs from the Before.
“We like it.” Hank stepped behind the counter and began lifting Mason jars full of brownish liquid out of the suitcase.
“Come, take a seat. Sit a spell.” Albie waved her to a nearby table. “Bring us a drink, Hank.”
“I take it you’re the brew master?” Rain asked with a glance at the Mason jars.
“Sure am. Even Before. People used to laugh at the crazy lady who made her own home brew. Guess who’s laughing now.” She let out a cackle.
Hank brought two glasses full of the brownish liquid then returned to stocking the bar. “How long have you and Hank been running this place?”
“Oh, this was all Hank’s idea. When the first big war started, we needed some place safe for people to hide. Just in case. This old store belonged to Hank’s daddy, but it had been empty for years, so he turned it into a shelter. After,” she shrugged, “it seemed as good a place as any to gather, have a drink. Share a laugh. Especially after the Marines.” Her expression turned grim.
“Yeah, I know about the Marines. They’ve come to Sanctuary, my compound, more than once. Last time was a few days ago. They took things.” She didn’t mention Sutter’s body. That was private.
“That’s right.” Albie nodded. “They take who and what they want. Never no mind about how the rest of us are gonna live. So, we did our best to make sure they never knew we were here.”
“But you’re just a few miles from their base.”
She smiled. “Oh, yes. And more clever by half. They think this is a ghost town. And we like it that way.”
Rain shook her head, amazed. For twenty-five years these people had been hiding on the Marines’ very doorstep. She took a sip of home brew and nearly spit it back out again. It was so strong it burned her throat and made her eyes water.
“This is, ah, good stuff, Albie.”
“Why, thank you dear.” Albie gave her a contented smile.
“So, is it just you and Hank, then?”
“Oh, no. There are thirty of us left here. The rest will be by later. What about you? You said the Marines came to your compound.”
Rain knew she’d have to give a little if she was going to get, but she still wasn’t sure she could trust these people. So she altered the truth, a little. “Yes. I’m from Sanctuary. It’s to the east of here about ten miles, I’d say.” The compound was to the south, not the east. And it was more like fifteen miles. “There are forty-three of us living there. I’ve lived there most of my life.”
“It’s good to know there are other survivors,” Hank spoke up. “Sometimes we forget we’re not alone.”
Albie nodded. “True. Very true. It’s too bad we can’t band together. But big settlements ...” her voice trailed off, but Rain knew what she meant. Big settlements drew the dragons. The more people there were, the harder it was to hide, to survive.
“Do you see the Marines often?”
“Not so much anymore. They came a few times in the beginning, didn’t they Hank?”
Hank nodded. “Yep. That was back when most of the town was still here. We told people to hide, but they wouldn’t listen. The Marines would show up, raid supplies, drag off a few people.” He shook his head. “Military ain’t supposed to act that way.”
“True enough,” Albie agreed. “True enough. Military’s supposed to protect people. That’s their job.”
Rain frowned. It sure wasn’t their job any more. Granted, they killed drags, but they were just as likely to kill people. Or steal from them.
“Why did they take people?” She wasn’t ready to mention Sutter’s body. Not just yet.
Hank shrugged as he stowed away the last of the Mason jars. “Who knows? The women, that was obvious. But they took men, too. Maybe there were some gay Marines?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Hank. They didn’t take them for sex. They took them for experiments.” Albie took a swallow of her brew. Rain noticed Albie’s eyes didn’t water. Must be acclimated.
“Them’s just rumors, Albie. Silly ones at that.” Hank poured himself a drink and joined them at the table. “Nobody could ever prove there were any experiments.”
“Experiments?” Rain remembered what the dying man had told her and Sutter.
Albie leaned forward conspiratorially. “There were rumors back then that the Marines had scientists working on ways to enhance them so they could fight the dragons better. They needed extra people to experiment on.”
“You mean like super soldiers?” Rain remembered Padre Pedro had once said they needed super soldiers to fight the dragons. Rain hadn’t known what super soldiers were, so Padre Pedro had to explain. She still thought it was a bit strange. How could anyone create superpowers in a person? It was completely crazy.
Albie leaned back in her chair. “Super soldiers, yeah. That’s right. They were trying to create super soldiers. Of course, like I said, it was rumor. Nobody could prove anything. They couldn’t even create a super soldier Before, how could they possibly create one now?”
Rain sipped her drink carefully. Albie had a point. The people Before had all kinds of miraculous things: Machines, medicines, music.
