The scene looked like something out of a fairytale. Who was this man, Dale? He lived like a woodsman alone in the woods, in a log cabin that he surely must have built himself.
“I’ll get the teakettle going,” said Dale. “Don’t worry, honey, he’ll be fine in a jiffy. I’ve seen men lose plenty of blood before. He’ll be fine.”
John didn’t feel like he’d been fine. His body felt so weak he couldn’t even make it the few steps into the cabin, into which Dale now disappeared.
“You’ll be fine,” said Cynthia, her voice soft. “Just hang in there. Don’t die on me and leave me alone with Dale. I have a feeling he likes to talk a lot.”
John gave a weak little laugh. Cynthia had a way of cheering him up in the strangest ways possible.
After a few minutes, John was feeling better. He felt his strength returning, little by little, warming up his muscles that had felt dead just minutes earlier. It was amazing the abuse the human body could take, and what it could come back from.
“It’s nice here,” said John, finally catching his breath enough to speak a little.
“Yeah,” said Cynthia, looking around. “If the EMP hadn’t happened, this is the sort of spot people would pay a lot of money to come and vacation at.”
John chuckled weakly. “I was never one for the great outdoors myself. Preferred New York City. Ritz Carlton, the Met, places like that.”
“You were one of those types. Don’t worry, I’ve already got you all figured out. But you’re a changed man now.”
“I’m learning to enjoy the little things. Like having a bullet just graze me, instead of lodging inside me.”
Cynthia laughed.
“I certainly didn’t take any vacations to New York City, but I wasn’t the type for the outdoors either.”
“What’d you do then?”
“Oh, not much. Watch movies, stay in, stuff like that.”
“Sounds fun.”
“I thought it was, but I didn’t know what I was missing.”
“You’d prefer this life?”
Cynthia laughed. “I’m not saying that. But there is something about this. I feel… more free than I did before the EMP, trapped inside, the television always on. I wasn’t really living.”
“Yeah,” said John. “Nothing to make you feel like you’re really alive than getting shot and attacked all the time.”
“I’m not saying this is better, but you know what I mean.”
“I think so. Come on, I’m ready to go inside.”
“You folks going to join me or what?” shouted Dale, poking his head out the quaint front door.
“We’re on our way,” said Cynthia.
She helped John to his feet, supporting a lot of his weight.
“I can make it on my own,” said John, wincing a little as he started towards the cabin.
It wasn’t a long way. Not by any stretch of the imagination. A mere handful of paces. Too close for Dale to shout. But he had a habit of communicating loudly.
And, as John and Cynthia soon found out, Dale had a habit of doing everything loudly.
They joined him inside, and he was busy by the wood stove, making a hell of a racket with a collection of cast iron pots and pans that he banged around.
The cabin was small, somewhat cramped with the three of them in there. But there were three chairs, and they were comfortable. Or at least comfortable compared to simply sitting on the ground, as John and Cynthia had been doing since they’d left the farmhouse. In fact, they’d spent most of their time since the EMP sitting or lying on the hard ground. In comparison, the chairs felt incredible.
“These are amazing chairs,” said Cynthia.
Dale was pouring hot water into three separate mugs.
“Nothing fancy,” said Dale. “Made them myself.”
“Did you make the whole cabin?”
“Yup. And a lot of what’s in it. All the wood stuff, mostly.”
John accepted a mug from Dale, who’d added a metal infuser filled with loose tea.
The liquid was hot enough to give off some steam, and it felt comforting to hold it in both his hands.
“Give it a minute to steep properly,” said Dale.
“We’re lucky we came across you,” said John, suddenly realizing just how lucky they were to find themselves in a comfortable home, resting, drinking real tea.
“Thank Kiki,” said Dale. “Or thank that rabbit.”
Kiki was sitting obediently on the floor, curled up.
“Now,” said Dale, sitting down across from John and Cynthia, with his own mug. “I’ve got some sausages we can have soon. But I figure your stomachs have shrunk down a bit over the weeks, and that rabbit filled them up pretty good. So I’ll wait a while on that.”
“Sounds good,” said John. “I’m not hungry yet, but I know I’ll be pretty hungry when I am.”
Dale laughed.
He seemed almost too good-natured.
“I’ve got to thank you,” said John. “You’re being really… almost too hospitable to us.”
“It’s the least I can do,” said Dale. “I could see you’re two decent people. And sounds like you’ve been through hell.”
“Pretty much, yeah. What about you? How’ve you been weathering the post-EMP world?”
“Not too bad, really,” said Dale, kicking his feet up on a small wooden stool, and taking a sip of his tea. “I’ve had this place for ages, and it’s got just about all I could need.”
“You lived here before the EMP?”
“Yup, about ten years. I was never the type for cities or anything like that. Always liked to be on my own, mostly. Of course, I had some friends around. People who’d stop by once in a while when they’re on hunting trips. And there’s a town about forty miles away I’d stop into once in a while, pick up supplies and that sort of thing.”
“Wait,” said Cynthia. “So your life is basically unchanged since the EMP? I mean, this is how you’ve been living for ten years? This place doesn’t even look like it’s wired for electricity. You’re definitely not on the grid.”
“Nope,” said Dale, laughing. “That’s the way I always preferred it. Simpler. And cheaper. I used to drive trucks, but I got tired of it. Made enough money I could buy this little piece of land here, with nothing around it for miles. Seemed to suit me just fine. So I took my time and built the place the way I wanted it.”
“Your friends,” said John, “what happened to them?”
“Well, no one’s been stopping by, that’s for sure. I imagine they’ve got their own problems now. No chance to go on hunting trips for vacation. People used to come from all over. I was bound to see someone at least once a week.”
“What about the town?”
“Haven’t been back yet,” said Dale. “Truth is, I’m a little scared of what I might find. Lots of people don’t stock up the way I do, and I don’t have enough to help others. Except for the occasional meal, of course. Don’t worry, you’re no imposition or anything like that. I wouldn’t have offered if I couldn’t dish up when the time came.” That sent him laughing again.
He seemed fine with his life since the EMP. In a sense, at least.
“Aren’t you worried about your own safety?” said John. “The tea is delicious, by the way.”
“Yup,” said Dale. “It’s good stuff. What do you mean by worried?”
“Well, right now there are those two criminals we told you about. They’re out there, armed, and they won’t hesitate to kill.”
Dale laughed. “The thing about people like that is that they never seem to know how to shoot properly.”
“It only takes one shot,” said John.
“Well,” said Dale. “I just take life as it comes. If they come at me, they’ll be dealing not just with me and my guns, but with Kiki, too. Don’t let her fool you. She can be fierce when she wants to.”
John gazed down at Kiki. She was a sizable animal, and muscular. “I don’t doubt that one bit. But…” John went on to tell Dale a little about the farmhouse where they’d been staying. Cynthia interjected occasionally to add comments and details. Together, they told Dale about what had happened in the suburbs, and how the militia was expanding its reach. And about how the farmhouse had already been overrun with people fleeing the cities, dangerous people who’d do anything to get ahead, to ensure another minute of their own survival.