Treasures Found
After many weeks of travel Bennett and his men reached Wentworth without major incident. They made camp in the same place that Gareth and Dwayne had selected on the previous foray to the silo. The ruined walls of the old supermarket kept out the wind, and they relaxed with anticipation of what they may discover tomorrow. Bennett was very intent on getting into the military base as soon as possible.
Todd was just happy to be finally mended and on the trail again with his warlike companions. It was not quite the days of old, but the travel had lifted his spirits, and it felt good to have a fixed purpose again. His shoulder had given him much trouble after the arrow wound of a few months prior, and he had some difficulty now moving his arm which was a hindrance, even after Raissa's expert care. He wished idly he had a woman, he had on occasion got to share the more communal ones. However, he was among the lowest-ranked men in the band, and he had to be satisfied with the leavings of others.
Pig had been excited to take this mission after the last raid had fired his blood for even more adventure. He had been for the most part relegated to 'Valley business,' for the past few years. Rarely leaving the camp's confines. His duties were for the most part background ones, keeping the slaves in line, which he did with great zeal, and butchering the beasts they all consumed.
He had never been the same since his accident years back, a high-speed vehicle pursuit that went very wrong. Pig received a head injury, and lost an eye, somehow though he lived and recovered most of his faculties, but he was never quite the same. He was the eldest of all the men, joining forces with Wezley Bennett as one of his initial followers. Even back then Pig could sense the greatness in the man, who was already more than six feet in stature and still not finished filling out. He had followed him on a mad trail of blood into the wastes, and he had enjoyed every moment.
Gareth just wanted to get this segment of the mission over with. He didn't enjoy the prospect of moving such dangerous weapons to another site. Anything could go wrong, hell, all the jostling on the cart could possibly cause the unthinkable. He was not deathly afraid like Dwayne was, but he understood the risks. The others had not witnessed Warren's demise after all. So as he lay down in his bedroll he thought of happier things. Like a victory at the fortress, and the women to be had there, a fitting replacement for the pretty and svelte Maya as he closed his eyes in lascivious thoughts.
Will was happy to just be doing something different. Yeah, there were still endless arrow shafts to be made, leather armor to be sewn or mended, and bows that needed repair. But tonight he sat looking out on a different vista, smoking a concoction he had made, and was content.
Nathan huddled against his Master's warm, leather-clad thigh, it was immense, possibly the size of Nathan's own waist. He placed his face against the well-worn and stitched leather, and closed his jade-green eyes, breathing the man's scent deeply. He lived for this man, he had now become his object of unwavering devotion and fealty. He thought about the terror of the Wolf Lord's fort and all the dodging and maneuvering he had to do there to survive. Here things were simple, please the big man and be protected and loved.
His twisted mind strayed to rather delicious thoughts, on what they would do on their return to the fortress. How they would wrest power from the foundering old cripple, and his evil cohort Victor Cross. He was imagining many scenarios as he rubbed against his master in excitement.
Bennett's black-gloved hand strayed to the horny boy who was rubbing against him in his passion. He ran his fingers through Nathan's silk-soft hair, stroking and caressing it lightly. "Soon, boy, soon." Was all he said in assurance.
*****
Dwayne was up early the next morning long before the others stirred. His mind was restless, so he spent the time burning off his nervous energy exploring, trying to get his mind off the terrible mission that was close at hand. He scoured the nearby streets and dilapidated buildings, there was much to see. It appeared the town which once was quite large, had been completely abandoned for many years. This seemed rather strange to the young man, there was a large body of convenient water nearby, one would have thought that any survivors would have resettled here, and yet they hadn't, why?
Through the silent streets, he walked, bow in hand, if he could bag a rabbit that would be a boon. Mostly though he held his weapon at the ready as an assurity of his safety. Urban environments were the most deadly to traverse. So many hiding places for unexpected enemies. One never knew when danger would strike, and Dwayne had not lived this long because he was the careless kind. As he strolled the broken sidewalks, blowing with refuse, he thought of all the men who were not with him today, Angus, Aran, Sean, Warren, and a plethora of others. Some whose names he remembered, and some that he did not. Their faces though were still indelibly etched into his mind.
He passed by a clothing store, it had been ransacked long ago, of course. The bright promotional signs faded over time, but there were myriads of stock still lying about unclaimed. He decided that good clothing could be useful, so he broke out the worst of the jagged glass and stepped cautiously inside. The sticky gossamer of spider webs stuck to his face, they were unpleasant but a good sign. Their presence meant that there had been no one through here recently.
As he was thinking this, a large black and white bird that had been roosting in the rafters above, took to panicked flight. He jumped and aimed his bow at the point of the disturbance. The bird fluttered loudly about the ceilings and finally flew outside. The ruined emporium once again settled into silence.
He cast his eyes about the store, stepping carefully over the broken glass, and began to look about. Most of the clothing racks had been knocked to the ground. The attire was in a twisted tangle, faded by time, and pulled from the coat hangers. Nature had intruded here, sand blew in from the broken windows, and animals and the intrusion of stormwater had fouled much of the merchandise.
To the darker reaches at the back of the store he ventured. There were rows of shelves here and of all things boots and shoes. Most of the shoe boxes had been pulled down, and the contents taken over the years. However, a few pairs remained. There were though many odd pairs. What had happened to the other ones he did not know, maybe they were simply display shoes, and their matching ones were someplace out the back?
Shoes had become very rare and valuable, one could not traverse the hot sand or rocky terrain without them, this was a treasure trove. Unfortunately, the women's shoes were of no use and very much outnumbered the men's selection. Many of the middle sizes were gone, and only the smaller or very large footwear remained. He eyed a pair of dusty Nike's hidden up on a top shelf, they were to his happiness a size ten and fit him well. He would take them and tell the others of his find, there was possibly footwear to be had here for everyone with a bit of judicious searching. He found a few pairs of wearable socks on the way out, those too were much sought after. He would have much to tell his clan.
After his exploration of the clothing store Dwayne had reached an area of housing, just on the verge of the commercial district. The buildings thinned out, making way for imperfect lines of broken fences, and larger yards with rambling unkempt gardens. A thick patch of bright green leaves beckoned him growing in a side yard, and colonizing the gaps between the concrete.
He carefully studied the one-story brick home that sat on the property and peered through the broken windows to be doubly sure he was safe. He then stood and listened for a time. Satisfied there was no one there, he went to investigate the bright foliage. These were mint plants, just as he had thought. Dwayne rubbed some of the leaves on his hands to be doubly certain, and they gave off a wonderfully refreshing aroma. These were a useful windfall, they would make delicious mint tea. Pleased with his find he gathered up a large bunch, he would dry some for later, and use some fresh for this morning's brew.
In the next yard, he spied an old gnarled orange tree. There had been other fruits once, but the majority of them looked dead. The privacy fence had fallen to the ground, so it was easy for him to make his way directly into the adjoining property. The large bright citrus had held on all winter, they were sweet and firm. He picked one and peeled it, again being wary of his surroundings. His eyes never left the back of the ruined domicile lest he be surprised, but there was no one there. This was a predictable theme it would seem in this town.
The juicy citrus exploded in his mouth in a cacophony of flavor, Dwayne ate the juicy flesh ravenously. It was delightfully delicious, and he peeled a second one, as the first one had only been a prelude to him satisfying the desire for this rare taste. He plucked as many as he could carry bunched in the front of his upturned shirt, and returned to the campsite.
The men who had just awoken were sitting in a circle on improvised seats of cement block, discussing today's plans. Dwayne laid his burden down before them smiling with his rare find, the men hardly believing what he had brought back this morning.
"There are new shoes to be had in the center of the town, socks too if we look." Dwayne pointed proudly at his new pair of Nike's and placed the cache of socks in the shopping bag on the ground for the others to see and peruse.
