As they approached the beginning of the road, Jake struggled to get his bearings. Freddie's voice beside him was still murmuring instructions.
“You won't hit a checkpoint since you're not traveling in by a common road, but you'll probably run into someone who'll want to know who you are.”
It took a few moments for Jake to catch what he was saying and ask “What do you mean? Doesn't everyone know who I am? I've been gone awhile, but last time I came back everyone recognized the mayor's screw-up son.”
“These ones are different. They won't all recognize you.”
They were walking down a street lined mostly with houses. It didn't look very different from the last time he'd been in town; it wouldn't be featured on a magazine cover any time soon, but it wasn't any more dismal than the Jericho of his time and place.
It was practically deserted. He could see some kids playing in a yard a little way up the street. As they approached, the kids stopped and stared at him. They stood rooted to the spot. They didn't seem curious, or nervous, they just looked. He found himself looking back, despite his efforts to stay uninvolved. He remembered he was supposed to be returning to town. A town where some wouldn't recognize him.
“Hey guys,” he said in what he hoped was a friendly manner. “I used to live here, but it's been awhile. Do any of you know where I can find the mayor?”
They kept looking at him. One of them pointed slowly up the street. “Maybe town hall,” he muttered. “Follow the next street and turn onto Main.” He seemed oddly familiar to Jake.
Jake gave him a careful smile. “Thanks.”
The kid looked at him expectantly. In a flash, he recognized him. From the bus. This was the kid who had been sitting near Stacy. He had tried to get him to hold her shoulders down, but the kid had looked away, barely able to touch her head. Now he was looking boldly up at Jake.
“Do you have any food mister?”
Jake was taken aback. He was expected to pay for these directions. He slowly rummaged through his pockets, expecting to find nothing. “How come you guys aren't in school?” he asked casually.
The kid smirked. “There's no school anymore.”
Jake was distracted at his casual answer, but jumped with surprise when his hand grazed a small package of crackers.
Didn't think I'd leave you empty handed on this trip, did you? whispered Freddie's voice.
Ignoring the strange explanation, Jake thrust the food into the kid's hands and continued quickly down the street, not looking back as the boys watched him go.
He followed the directions, the route he'd known since he was a kid, and turned onto Main Street. It was the middle of the day, and there weren't a lot of people out in the streets. There weren't any more children playing either, despite school being over. He glanced up and down the street, surveying the damage. He was mildly surprised to see that a part of the wall to the bank had collapsed. The street didn't show evidence of being torn up by mortars, but a lot of the buildings did seem to have sustained varying degrees of damage. It reminded him a little of New Bern, that day he had arrived looking for Eric.
Crazy, isn't it? asked the voice in his ear.
Jake didn't answer. He just continued to take in the details of the street- the shattered windows of the Cyberjolt Cafe, the crumbling decay of the church doors, the many holes in the side of the wall at Gracie's.
I'd look to your three o'clock if I were you, warned Freddie. Jake's head snapped in that direction. Two uniformed soldiers, standing in front of a store, were paying close attention to him. He didn't recognize them, but he noticed the A.S.A. patches on their chests. He made eye contact with them.
You should go over there. Check in. That's all they're after right now.
Jake stepped towards them, as nonchalantly as he could.
They were cool, but courteous as he approached them. “Good afternoon, Sir. Haven't seen you around before. Did you just arrive?” asked one of them as he stepped forward. He was the shorter of the two.
“Hi. I...I just arrived. I grew up here, and I've been trying to get home for awhile,” Jake said with relative ease. “Jake Green.”
The other man held out his hand, but not to extend a greeting. “Can I see some identification or proof of residence?”
Jake started to object, preparing to explain the ordeal he'd had traveling here. Just get your i.d, Freddie whispered. From your pocket.
Jake found his wallet in his pocket, and a shiver went up his arm. He hadn't carried a wallet in a long time. He pulled out his old driver's license.
“Hmmm...” said the soldier, drawing it out as he looked from the i.d. to Jake and back. “Says here you live in California.”
“Well, I was living in California. I've been trying to make it back here since the bombs. I was on vacation when they hit.” He was thinking fast, trying to remember exactly what places had survived, according to Hawkins. He couldn't say he had been in San Diego, but if these were Cheyenne soldiers, better not to say he'd been anywhere east of the Mississippi.
Tell them you were in Vegas.
“I was in Nevada. Vegas.”
The short one nodded, but pressed on. “It took you quite a while to get here.”
Jake smirked. “Spent the first winter there. Road here was hell. Refugee camp to refugee camp.”
They were still watching him suspiciously. “Look, my family lives here. Ask them. Ask anyone. Everyone here knows the Greens. My-”
He stopped. If they hadn't both been watching him, he would have looked to Freddie. He didn't know if these men had met any Greens.
He went out on a limb. “My mother's Gail Green. My brother is Eric. My father-” he faltered, but continued, because he'd been away for six years, “-is Johnston Green.”
The soldiers stood, still watching for sudden movements. Finally, the one who had remained silent the whole time spoke to his co-worker. “Green- that's the nurse, right?”
“Your mom a nurse?” asked the short one.
Jake nodded, smiling just a little. “You've seen her? Is she okay?”
“Last I heard,” he answered. “Go on then, go find your folks.”
Jake nodded curtly, and hurried back to the street.
Easier than you thought, right? asked Freddie. Good. That was the easy part.
Jake rolled his eyes. He was glad, in spite of himself, to know his mother was alright. Something about this so familiar street was making him very uneasy, and he felt a little better knowing someone he loved was somewhere here.
He was getting closer to Bailey's now. He had considered going straight home to find his family, but something told him to look to the town's unofficial gathering place first. If his mother was at home, he could surely go to find her after he had discovered what else had happened in his absence. What better place then Bailey's?
He noticed first that the windows were missing here, just as they'd been at the Cyberjolt, only instead of left in disrepair, someone had covered the openings with wooden boards. It seemed like it was still open for business, though he chuckled as he thought that even if it wasn't, he would have gone to see what was left of it anyway. He went up to the entrance and swung open the door.
It was dark and hazy inside, but definitely still open. Jake looked around. He wasn't sure if it was just the lack of lighting, aside from a few candles, but it seemed a lot more dingy than the last time he'd been inside. Even when she'd been out of everything but mustard, Mary had kept the place presentable.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed that there were a few people scattered around the bar, mostly seated by themselves and nursing drinks. He went up to the bar and glanced towards the back. The only other person at the bar was a woman, slumped over on the stool with her head leaning on her arms, her hair draped over her face.
He waited a few moments, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. He heard her footsteps as she turned the corner, and he saw the second familiar face since his arrival.
“Oh, just a minute. You can have a seat,” she said, balancing the stack of wooden boards she'd just brought in from the back. She turned towards him, and looked at him expectantly.
“Well, did you want a drink?” she asked, a little impatiently.
“Mary...” he said. She looked with more attention now, startled by this stranger who knew her name.
He almost laughed at her as she peered at him in the dim lighting. She still didn't know.
“Jake,” he said.
Recognition dawned on her face then, and she gasped. “Jake Green? Oh my God!”
She smiled then, a dazzling but almost painful looking smile, and came around the bar to give him a hug. “When did you get here?”
He chuckled a little. “Just now, actually.” He held up a hand before she could think of a bunch of questions to ask. “It's a long story. I'll tell you about it, but I really want to know about how things are going here.”
Her smile faded a little. “Well, that's a long story too. You want to sit down? Have a drink? It's on me.”
Before he could respond, she was pushing him towards a stool and rushing behind the bar to find a glass and something to put in it. He sighed with apprehension. He was desperate to know the answers Mary could give him, and dreading completely having to hear her story.
“Here,” she said, shoving a glass in front of him with zeal.
He made no move to pick it up. He really needed to know, much as he wanted just to enjoy a drink like old times.
“Are you going to sit too?” he asked.
“Sure I can't get you anything else?” she asked in an overly cheerful voice.
“You've got something besides this?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Not much, but I've got some food I could share with you. It's not every day an old friend comes back to town.”
He shrugged too. “If you don't mind.” He sensed she might tell him more if she had something else to distract her at the same time.
She disappeared and was back quickly with a bowl of lentils and some crackers. He glanced around at the listless people clutching glasses.
“Aren't you worried your other customers will want to be served food too?”
She waved a hand absently. “Nah, they don't care. They've got what they came here for.”
She sat down on a stool she'd pulled over. He noticed the area behind the bar was a mess, piled with junk and broken furniture.
“So what do you want to know first Jake?” she asked quietly, looking down at her hands.
He looked at her carefully. It was as though neither of them wanted to begin. He forced himself to ask, “What happened to Main Street?”
She sighed. “Lots of things. The fire happened a while ago. Not long after the bombs actually. The power came on, something happened with the circuit, the library caught on fire and it spread. They couldn't get it out in time to stop it from wrecking the buildings, but nobody got hurt at least.”
Jake hadn't even noticed fire damage. “I haven't been up that end of Main yet.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “Then you were asking about the general state of disaster we've got going on over here. We've had problems. People coming here, raiding the stores and the houses nearby. You've probably seen it wherever you've been. Started right after the bombs.”
“Who was it?” asked Jake.
Mary pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Remember Jonah Prowse? His group, sometimes. Sometimes strangers would get into town, before Gray started the border guard. One time, this group of mercenaries made it into town- they mostly wanted our supplies. Gray and his guys had a big fight with them, but they were too strong for us. It was after that Gray really cracked down.”
“So Gray's in charge now?” asked Jake.
“Well, he was. A couple of days ago, these guys from the government came in. Said they're here to secure the area. Gray's been making speeches still, but everyone knows who's really calling the shots now.”
The question he feared the most was forcing itself out of his mouth before he could hold on any longer. “How about my family? Are they okay? Have you seen them lately?”
Mary took a deep breath, finally looking him in the eye. “Jake, your dad is dead. I'm so sorry.”
He nodded, feeling the familiar sting in the back of his eye, and setting his jaw as he usually did. It was still a shock, in this strange world and in his. “What happened to him?”
“After the bombs, he got sick. It was some bug that was going around. It killed him. I would never have thought that something like that could happen, but the way things were then...”
He sighed. “How about my mom? Have you seen her?”
“I don't see her much, but she's okay. She keeps herself really busy. At the med centre.” She was looking down at her hands now.
“Eric?” he asked, sensing he was wading into painful territory.
“He's okay too,” she answered quietly.
“Have you seen him?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Sometimes, around town. He doesn't leave the med centre much either.”
Jake's brow furrowed. “And April?”
Mary looked on the verge of tears. “She's dead too Jake.”
She didn't seem to notice his lack of surprise. He kept looking at her, waiting for an explanation. When she didn't give one, he asked, “What happened? Was it because of a problem- with the med centre?”
Mary sighed with a bitter smile. “I guess so. Remember how I told you about the mercenaries? We didn't have much food or fuel- what they wanted was everything we had left at the med centre. April tried to protect her patients. She got in their way.”
Jake was reeling. His father's death hadn't come as much of a surprise, though he'd felt a pang of guilt as he realized why his father hadn't survived the virus. He had expected April might be dead too, when Mary didn't mention her, but he hadn't thought about the possibility that she hadn't died in a hospital bed, surrounded by her family and soft candlelight.
“Ravenwood killed her?”
“And three patients. And a bunch of men from border patrol.” Mary leaned her face into her hands.
Jake reached for the drink in front of him for the first time.
They sat there in silence for awhile, Jake's thoughts swirling around in his brain. His father had died, leaving only Gray to cope with the chaos. Ravenwood had left the town in shambles. There was so much to make sense of in such a little time. He thought he should start with the most straight-forward question.
“So when did Gray get to be in charge?”
Mary was hesitant, as if afraid to upset Jake further. “After your dad died. The whole town was freaking out, and your mom, and Eric, they had enough to deal with themselves. They didn't need the whole town to worry about too. Gray stepped in, and everyone was glad to have someone in charge.”
There was more to it than that. Jake knew. At that moment, the door swung open, and two men entered. Jake noticed Mary turn quickly to see who it was. The others in the room did too. Only the woman at the bar didn't move.
He recognized the men- Carl Sweeney and Allen Mocker. Carl had been a few years ahead of him in school; Allen he knew only by sight. Mary got up quickly. “I'll just go see what they want,” she said quietly.
Jake turned back to his drink, listening carefully to the hushed conversation the three of them were having. It sounded like it was about him- they wanted to talk to him and Mary was firing back her words in a tense whisper. Probably trying to explain that he'd just been delivered the news of his father and sister-in-law's deaths.
Did you forget about Rogue River?
Jake groaned.
You can insert your own guilt trip, if you insist. I just want to point out that your sister-in-law died too, and you couldn't have prevented it any more this time.
'But I could have prevented my dad,' Jake thought. 'No one else could find medicine? No one else could do anything to help?'
Your mom tried. Eric and April tried. Even Mary. Notice how guilty she's acting? She's secretly glad Eric never comes around. She feels guilty about April every time she looks at him.
'How does someone die of a fever? How could he? And how could they accept Gray so easily as their mayor, just like that? It doesn't look like he's doing such a great job.'
Ah, because the story is more complicated than that. Hang on, you can follow up on that in a minute, but right now you have to talk to these clowns.
Carl and Allen were walking over. They took seats beside him. Like the uniformed men earlier, they were pretending to be friendly, but Jake was good enough at reading people to know that they weren't going to give him a welcome-home gift basket.
“If it isn't the legendary Jake Green. What are you doing back here?” asked Carl.
“Hi guys,” said Jake, giving a curt nod. “Just catching up.”
“I hope you plan on catching up with Gray Anderson. The mayor's heard you were back in town and he'd like to meet with you.” Allen was being what must have been his idea of smooth.
“Does everyone that makes it back here alive get a personal invitation to Gray's?” Jake asked nonchalantly.
“I know you've been gone awhile Jake, but I'm sure you still care about this town's safety. Your family's safety,” said Carl.
“What does that mean?” he asked, more wearily than anything else.
“It means the mayor needs all the help he can get to keep us going. We need to know everything we can. We need you to do your part for the town,” Allen cut in, his voice getting louder.
Carl interrupted him. “Look, Jake, I understand you'll want to get home, see your family. Just stop in, help out. The mayor's office in town hall. I think you know where that is. We'll be expecting you.”
They stood then, and marched out. The room was quiet again. Jake motioned Mary over so he could speak quietly.
“What the hell was that about?” he asked.
“They work for Gray. I guess he wants to see you.”
He shook his head. “So I come all the way here, to this insane place, and they still want me to put helping the town before everything else?”
She was looking at him strangely.
Last time she saw you, you weren't even the hero who drove a school bus, Freddie's voice echoed in his mind.
He hastily recovered. “I've been away six years, and they want me to put the town first?”
She shrugged. “Gray's having a tough time keeping order. People are scared.” The way she said it, he could tell she wasn't particularly pleased.
“Why should they be? Seems like he's done an excellent job so far,” Jake said through gritted teeth.
“I guess everything comes at a price. People are finally following the rules. At least, here in town. And we don't have as many outsiders coming in to pick on us.”
“How did you manage that?” he asked.
She chuckled. “No 'we' about it. Gray and his little army. They do a decent job now, keeping the vultures out of town. Never mind it's still really up to each person to fend for themselves. At least people don't prey on each other anymore. Not since Gray passed a bunch of laws.”
Jake was confused. “I don't understand. Why didn't people try to have a say in how things are run here, if it's so bad? Gray wasn't even elected, was he?”
“People were scared. Like I told you, it's been fend-for-yourself for a while. Most people were tired of protecting themselves. They thought that they woudn't mind having to follow a strict set of rules if it's the alternative.”
Jake tried to remember the last time he'd seen Gray elected. It was at a time when everyone was afraid. Gray hadn't turned out to be a terrible leader, but he'd needed help. “What about everyone who isn't a Gray supporter? Why haven't they been standing up to him?”
Mary shrugged. “Who, Jake? Me? Your family? What are we going to do? I could stop serving drinks. It wouldn't change much. I know they won't stop what they're doing at the med centre.”
Jake swallowed hard. “I mean everyone else who used to stand by my dad.” He had almost mentioned everyone else that had stood by him, but remembered that he had kept different company six years ago. “Where are my friends? Jimmy, Bill, Stanley, Emily, Hea-” He caught himself just before mentioning the school teacher he met on the bus.
Mary raised her eyebrows. “Jake, I haven't seen Stanley in months, Emily probably won't be showing her face around here for years, and Jimmy and Bill work for Gray.”
Jake stared in confusion and Mary sighed wearily. Once again, they both realized there were too many things to explain at once. “Jimmy works for Gray?” asked Jake. He could imagine Bill, but not Jimmy being a proud enforcer of Gray's apparent martial law.
“Why not? He wanted to keep the town safe as much as anyone. Maybe more. He lost someone too, Jake. His son.”
Jake's breath caught. He had seen Woody Taylor a few weeks ago, walking home with his sister. “How?”
“Since the bombs, lots of people have been sick, especially the kids, especially at winter. I think you'll notice people missing if you walk around town.”
“But what about the med centre? I thought you said Eric and my Mom worked there all the time. Haven't they helped anybody?” He knew the answer of course, but it was just so difficult to imagine Jimmy burying his son.
“Jake, they lose more people than they save. They're not doctors. They don't have supplies, they don't have help. People come to them all the time, and they die all the time.”
She looked especially pained now, and guilty as she watched him ask the next question. “What are they doing there then, if it's so pointless?”
She blinked. “April. April would have done anything for those people, and they've made it their mission to carry on in her name. I see your mom sometimes- she comes in to get some antiseptic I make. I don't know how often she leaves the centre. I don't know what else they're going to do though.” She let out a world-weary sigh and he remembered something else she'd said.
“What about Stanley? Why haven't you seen him in months?”
“Stanley?” asked a bleary voice. “You know Stanley?”
He looked over to the bar- and stopped himself from exclaiming anything when he saw the woman sitting there lift her head up to look at him. She was a different person then when he'd last seen her, but her face, her eyes, were hauntingly familiar. He nearly choked in surprise. He wasn't supposed to know her at all.
“Have you seen Stanley? Is he alright?” she asked quickly.
“No, Mimi,” said Mary, walking over to her and pushing some of Jake's forgotten crackers onto the bar in front of her. “He hasn't seen him. He just got here. Have something to eat.”
Mary was talking the way one does normally to a child, or a patient in a psych ward, but Jake thought he understood exactly the look Mimi Clark was giving him, and he understood exactly the question she had asked.
Mary came back over, speaking in hushed tones to Jake, as Mimi stared, her eyes intensely fixed on him.
“That's Mimi. She's...been having a hard time. I usually try not to mention Stanley around her.”
Jake asked, “What's wrong with her?”
Mary raised her eyebrows. “It's a long story. She worked for the I.R.S. She came here from D.C., just before the bombs. She was auditing the Richmond's, actually. After the bombs, she moved into the farmhouse, and after a while, her and Stanley got together. Weird, I know. First time I saw them here at the bar, she told him to leave her alone. I guess things changed, next thing we know, everyone's talking about how Stanley's with the tax woman. Then the bridge...” She stiffened. “The town had been making deals with New Bern for awhile, trying to fix what Ravenwood had done here. New Bern wanted a share of the salt mine. Gray wanted to keep them away. He decided to blow up the Tacoma bridge. The people out on the other side could choose: come into town, or throw themselves to the mercy of New Bern. Of course, I was pretty sure Stanley was going to do neither. Mimi crossed over, Stanley didn't. She's been here ever since.”
“Nice story Mary,” slurred Mimi from her seat, still fixing Jake with a strange gaze.
Mary leaned in to whisper. “I feel bad for her. She has nowhere else to go. She stays here. Helps me with the still. It's nice to have company though.”
“Well you're just so fun to be around, Mary,” Mimi said disdainfully. She turned to Jake again. “Who are you?”
He stepped towards her, holding out his hand. “Jake Green.” She grasped it for a second and let go.
“You knew Stanley?” she asked.
He nodded. He wished he could give her something, anything. He remembered, a month ago, dancing with her at a makeshift engagement party they'd held at Bailey's. She had laughed, throwing her head back in the air as they'd purposely knocked into Stanley and Bonnie. Now, she was listless and slumped in her seat, boring into him with those eyes.
“He was my best friend,” he said.
Her features softened for a moment, and she said, “Mine too.” She blinked rapidly, then her face hardened again. “If you see him, tell him to go to hell.”
She leaned over and sank her head into her arms again.
Jake and Mary glanced at each other in silence for several minutes, not able to shake off the awkward feeling now strangling the air around them. “I guess maybe I should get out there and see what's left of the town,” said Jake. As he stood and prepared to leave, Mary retrieved a bottle from behind the counter.
“Antiseptic. Can you give it to them?” she asked. He nodded with a grim smile. “Say hi for me.”
He gave her another awkward hug. “Thanks. I will. And thanks for everything.”
She nodded solemnly, and turned to go back to her work.
Eager to leave behind the smell of drowning sorrows and the sight of those slouched against the filthy bar, he quickly opened the door and stepped outside.