Page 14 of All Your Days
He’s not much help himself. He looks like he’s about to cry too. But he still pulls his wife from me, redirecting her silent sobs into his chest instead. When they offered to come and see me off, I didn’t expect this, and it’s taking the last reserves of my reasonableness to keep calm about it. They’re acting like they’re sending me off to my funeral.
It’s beenyearssince we lost anyone on a supply run. Okay, more like a year. But that was to a snake bite and that could happen just as easily in here.
It turns out, I’m not any better at reassuring myself than they are.
Hugging Jessica tightly, Matty leans in close to me.
“I’m sorry, it’s just with the possible pregnancy…” Matty whispers, but it doesn’t matter. There is another wail and Jessica is crying louder again.
I can’t believe I’m going to miss her visit to the doc. For better or worse, I should be there for them when they find out the news. And I won’t be. I’ll be outthere.
I’m all too aware that we’re drawing attention with our goodbyes. There are a lot of eyes on us, specifically onmenot helping the team get ready to move out.
“It’s fine. But I better go, ‘kay? Check on Moby for me. And make sure he eats. Jess too.” I give them a quick grin—not daring to get close to Jessica again.
I watch them leave the courtyard and scurry back to the people working busily in the rear courtyard we’re leaving from.
It’s early, really early, the sun hasn’t even made its way over the high walls, but there are grunts running back and forth, loading up the big, box-like metal trailer with supplies for the run and the items for trade. I may not have any actual idea what I’m doing, but I’m not a complete idiot and I’ve been doing grunt work since I could walk, so I figure it out.
Helping load the supplies gives me just enough understanding of the trip to answer some questions, but also gives me a whole lot of new ones.
I mean, I understand about the fresh fruit and vegetables from the Ag department. It’s not exactly something in high supply out here in the Outback, so it’s a pretty routine item for trade, along with the crates full of leather and camel wool from our craftsmen.
Then there’s the crate of medical supplies—including the reason I’ve apparently been assigned to the trade run. The Unionhas approved the expansion of our blood testing experiment and we are sending the supplies to an armymen outpost further east. Despite just being the grunt that cleans the vials and sweeps the lab floors, it’s my responsibility to see that there is a successful transfer. It’s better than risking a doctor I guess. Or worse, Moby.
The water cart is pretty self explanatory, too. According to Commander Agathangelou, who is also overseeing our departure, there are bores throughout the designated trade routes. They were put in place by the Union after too many refugees died fleeing the cities.
It’s the stuff after all that which is making me worried about how I’m gonna go on this trip.
Like the camping stove I haul into the trailer. I have no idea how to cook on a regular stove, let alone a camp one. Lou, the other grunt travelling with me, assures me it’s simple enough and he’ll help where he can, but I have my doubts. Doubts that only grow the longer we load up. There isn’t a single thing we stack in the trailer that I know how to deal with. I know I’m going to be a liability on this trip and I hate the feeling.
Despite the freezing chill of the morning I end up working up quite a sweat by the time we’re done. It’s about then that three guards show up. Not Jacob. He was the first one here, watching everything with a keen eye.
He’s barely spared me a second glance and strangely enough, I’m starting to feel a little bit neglected.
With the trailers loaded I feel extra lost. The other grunts leave the courtyard to start their jobs for the day, and Lou is busy getting all the camels prepared. There’s more than enough of them to prepare—one for every guard, plus one each for Lou and I, and another to pull the trailer.
I’d help, but considering how efficiently he’s going about it, I’ll just be in the way. Plus, I’m not really sure about the camels.They seem… spitty. So I just sit in the corner, on the concrete half wall, poking at the aloe planted in the garden bed. The healers use it to treat the sunburn the grunts and guards are always getting.
My bags are at my feet. Both of them. One satchel has my clothes and a handful of personal things—including the present Moby gave me last night after I got the news of my assignment. He was mad.Reallymad, and went to argue with the commander and leadership, but there was nothing he could do about it. He came back to the Labs with a package.
“Four days, three nights, Eli. Then you’ll be at the outpost. You’ll need these. Never underestimate the value of a good pair of socks, my boy.”
There were ten pairs in the hastily wrapped package. Nine of them are in my bag, the tenth snug on my feet in my boots. They aren’t particularly special, all plain black and made of wool. Half are thickly padded for cold desert nights, the rest thinner but tough and hard wearing. I’ve never had anything so new or of such good quality in my life.
I cried in my room when I packed, carefully tucking them in the middle of all my belongings.
The other bag is our emergency bag, given to all travellers out of the facility. They are Union issued, with survival items in case the very worst happens. I haven’t looked in it too hard, just tucked my day's food ration and water skin inside and sealed it up tight. The black bag really just feels like it’s inviting trouble, but I’ve been warned that I’m never to have my bag or my knife out of arm's reach for the duration of the trip.
With nothing else to do but sit and be anxious, I watch Jacob brief the guards. They’ve all been issued better quality Union rifles and equipment than what’s in regular use inside the compound.
The man looks so calm and collected. And more handsome than ever. His long, dark, wavy hair is pulled back in a knot below his hat. He’s wearing the jacket again too—the one from the first day. It actually fits him now, no longer swallowing up his whole body.
There is something incredibly hot about the way he handles the guns, showing the other guards, handling the weapons and gear with expert efficiency. Itshouldn’tbe sexy, but it is. Thank God Jessica’s left, otherwise she’d never let me hear the end of it about how hard I watch him giving his safety briefing.
He’s just so… authoritative.
It makes me feel safe. And horny.
