Photo by Andrea Boldizsar on Unsplash

Apparently the light we saw on our arrival only worked for the lights outside the main gates, some new kind of solar powered light, made in order to give the appearance of environmental awareness. Inside the field house, though, it was dark. Unnaturally dark. After months of living among the wilderness, and sleeping in trees, having a roof that blocked out the night sky unnerved me.

Levi lit several candles and placed them around the room. Shadowood Golf Course was under construction when that day came, the one we don’t talk about. The exterior was built; the outside near completion but the inside was little more than a plain room, more of a large cube. The second had offices crudely put up, and the roof was a flat square of concrete meant to be an area for patrons to eat and drink from the small restaurant that was never built.

Martha and Edgar, and worked in an improvised work station stood near the fireplace made of little more than a sheet of plywood over two saw horses. Each member of the Shadowood community systematically made his or her way to the table to get the night’s meal. Made up of at least 30 people, I was convinced that other than those serving the meal, no one there was past high school. A group of sullen, wordless teenagers, lined up to eat what appeared to be cakes made from a mixture of flour and oil. Two small cakes would serve as the night’s meal, a feast. The children took the meager portions without complaint and were seated at the two large picnic tables in the center of the room. I sat with Lauren and Evan at a third near the far wall.

Levi raised his voice to get everyone’s attention, “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said, “You know the drill. No one goes outside for anyone reason. Karen and I will be upstairs with our new guests, and if anyone needs anything, just holler.”

“Have you noticed this?” I said, pointing to the gathering in the center of the room.

“What?” Evan asked.

“These people here,” I said, “there’s not one older than me or Lauren or you even. The only adults here are Levi and that nurse. How did they last this long? I mean, we would have died if you hadn’t shown up. How does a group of kids stay here and keep this going. You’ve seen them shoot Evan, it’s not some kind of Military Academy or something.”

“So?” Laure said, “What does it matter? They’re here and it seems safe here, except that thing lurking around.”

“That’s what I mean,” I said, “What if we didn’t show up and Evan wanted to check the fence? How many more of those things could have wandered in here? I saw at least a dozen near the river. These people are doomed.”

Evan leaned in closer, his eyes narrowed and his voice cut through the air, “Shut your mouth,” he said, “they don’t need to hear that. They might have been left out to dry, but they’re here. Alive, which is a heck of a lot better than most people right now.”

“Are we going to stay here?” Lauren asked.

“I think we need to,” Evan said, “We need to help these people. For all we know this is the last holdout. Besides we can’t just keep running from house to house. It’ll be winter soon. We’re going to need a place to stay.”

Lauren moved her four cakes around her plate, “This food sucks,” she said, “I would kill for a salad,” only my sister would crave vegetables at a time like this. “But I guess it beats eating dirt out there.” She chewed a few more pieces, and finally she gave up and left the food on her plate and walked to the table.

When she was out of earshot I asked Evan, “Do you ever worry about her?”

My question seemed to startle Evan and he choked on his food, “What?”

“I get worried sometimes,” I said, “I mean she’s taken to this lifestyle a little too easily. Sometimes I wonder if she’s gone too far. A few months ago she would have been out with friends watching movies. Now, she carries a machete and can shoot a gun.”

Evan was silent for a moment, “She’s a survivor. Sometimes you have to do what you have to in order to get by. Look at all the stuff we’ve had to do.” He paused to adjust something on his belt. “Besides, she’s not the one I worry about.”

That caught me off guard. “What do you mean by that?”

“Remember. I saw you in that alley. Do you remember what happened? I saw you freeze. Lauren let her natural response take over. No matter what she was going to live. Fight or flight. You just stood there, zombie food. Sometimes I’m not sure if you ever left that alley.”

His words stung, but inside I knew he was right. Evan saved us. Without him, they would have killed me. I held my own outside, but Evan and Lauren were naturals.

“Hey,” one of the boys said to Lauren. The largest one, he was sitting at the end of the table and trying to get my sister’s attention. He stood up as she walked back to the table. His first mistake was trying to talk to her. His second was trying to grab her hand.

“Hey girl. I’m talking to you,” he said he reached for her hand.

No one saw the blade leave the sheath. Before he even made contact with her wrist, Lauren, after months of sensing every movement around her, spun and before the large teenager could act the machete she held in front of the boy’s face, the blade nearly touching his nose. He was taller and wider than Lauren, but he stopped in his tracks.

“Get this thing away from me,” he said. He tried to keep his composure but the sweat on his forehead told a different story.

I went to help, but Evan beat me to it.

“Whoa, guys. Why don’t we calm down here,” Evan said.

“Yeah girl, listen to your boyfriend,” he said still trying to keep the tough exterior.

Lauren moved her hand foreword with the slightest amount of pressure, just enough to depress the boy’s large fleshy nose.

“Calm me girl one more time and you’ll never have to blow your nose again,” she said.

Evan slid his way in between them pushing Lauren’s blade down. “I think this was just a misunderstanding.”

As the two started to walk away the boy said one more thing, “Let’s see what happens when your boyfriend’s not around to protect you. Girl.”

“What’s your name?” Evan asked.

“Travis,” he said.

“Travis,” Evan said, “let’s get one thing straight it’s not her I was protecting.” Travis didn’t like his words but he returned to his seat.

Lauren walked past me on her way to the corner of the room we were to share.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “I bet I could have made him wet himself I wanted to.”

Evan smiled, the first one I had seen in a long time, “See, I ain’t worried about her.”

I slipped a small pad of paper from my pocket and pencil.

“What are you doing,” Evan asked.

“I’m writing this down. Someone has to.” I said while scratching on the little pad. I found a stack of blank pads and a box of golf pencils in the field house, and I decided to put them to use.

“I’m going to talk to Levi,” I said.

“Why,” Evan asked.

“I have to know what happened.”