Page 69 of Concluded
That slowed the men slightly, but they still approached at a speed impressive for their size and apparent age.They weren’t even out of breath when they got near enough to stop and survey their unexpected visitors.
“Spanos?”the one with boots asked uncertainly.
“Yeah.This is my… my partner, Dee Martell.And this is Chief Grimes’s father.I promise I’ll explain, but could you help us, please?”
The bigger man—Jesus, his insteps werefurry—didn’t even hesitate before scooping Ish carefully into his arms, turning, and heading toward the cabin.When everyone else started to follow, Dee stumbled.He would have fallen if Achilles hadn’t caught him.
“You need to lie down for a while,” Achilles scolded him.“Lean on me.”
Dee swallowed his pride and obeyed, partly because he needed the support and partly because it felt good to lean on that strong body—and to trust that Achilles would support him as much as he needed.
They all went inside, and the interior was nicer than Dee expected.One room had a couch, a couple of armchairs, a table and chairs, and a neat little kitchen.Through an open door, a bedroom was visible.A flight of stairs led to an open loft with another bed and a bunch of overstuffed bookshelves.Most of the furniture looked hand-hewn, and while the walls and floor were bare wood, there was also a scattering of bright area rugs and woven wall hangings.And, somewhat inexplicably, a framed poster for a punk rock band called Steep Descent.
That was about as much as Dee managed to take in before sagging in Achilles’ arms.He had the vague sense of conversation going on around him before Achilles half carried him up to the loft and guided him to the bed.
“Ish?”he asked before drifting away.
Achilles patted his arm.“He’s fine.Rest.”
So Dee did.
* * *
He must have sleptfor several hours.By the time he shuffled down from the loft, low sunlight—barely managing to break through the forest canopy—slanted through the windows.The cabin smelled pleasantly of food, and although the man with the hairy feet was sprawled in an armchair, there was no sign of Achilles or the other man.Ish was just barely visible in the bedroom.
“Your guy and Art are outside having a confab.Help yourself to bread and stew.Oh, and I’m Jerry.”He had a slight Southern twang and, congruent with his size, a deep voice.
“Thanks.”Dee’s stomach rumbled loudly enough to make both of them laugh.“I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“It’s venison, so if you’re a vegetarian you’re out of luck.”
Dee was definitely not a vegetarian; he filled a big bowl and sawed off a hunk of what looked like homemade sourdough.He sat on the couch to eat.“This is delicious.”
“We don’t cook anything complicated, but we’re pretty good at it.”
“Do you… live off the land?”There wasn’t exactly a neighborhood Safeway.
“Mostly.We carry in some stuff about once a month, but we hunt, gather, or grow the rest.”
“I’m impressed.That takes a lot of work.”
Jerry shrugged.“We’re used to it.We have a pretty cushy setup here.Solar power.Running water.Composting toilet.We’ve got a place in town too, but we’re not there much except during the height of winter.We need a big personal space bubble.”He grinned.
“I’m sorry we invaded you without warning.”
“Naw, you’re fine.Biggest surprise us codgers have had in a while.We met an elf last year, but you guys have topped that one for sure.”
Dee liked this man who, despite his size, seemed gentle and sort of goofy.He reminded Dee of a Newfoundland dog he’d once lived next door to.“Did Achilles tell you what’s going on?”
“Yeah.Me and Art have never paid much attention to the news, but lately it’s been so bad we’ve avoided it completely.We’ve got a ham radio, but that’s just for weather reports, or if we have an emergency.I guess we’re pretty chicken, hiding out here and pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist.”
Dee swallowed a mouthful of bread dipped in stew.“From what I understand, you two put in your time and earned retirement.Me, I spent my whole life mostly ignoring everyone else.I’m only in the middle of things now because I got dragged in.”
Jerry scrunched up his face thoughtfully.“You’re not a regular human, right?Sorry—Art says my manners need work.Don’t mean to be rude.”
“I don’t mind.I was kind of raised by wolves myself.Um, not literally,” he added quickly.Then he thought about the coyotes he’d met.“Actually, wolves probably would have been an improvement.”
That made Jerry chuckle.“You maybe heard I’m not a regular human either.”He lifted one of his enormous furry feet and wiggled his toes.“I grew up among humans, though.Lots of ’em weren’t nice.Even the ones that were, well, I always knew I wasn’t one of ’em.Took me a while before I found a place where I felt like I belonged.And a person to belong to.You know?”
