The Next Morning
Pale grey light filtered through the small crevices, some rays hitting Aden on the face. Outside, the hesitant creak of the windmill joined the distant sound of metal clanging from Ethan's workshop.
Ugh!
"Is it morning already?"
The constant metal clangs and the rays on his face roused him. The lessened soreness in his muscles made it easier to move than yesterday. He rose from the bed and glanced at Tom's bed, only to find it empty.
"His parents must have taken him home." He thought as he made his way to the storage room.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Once inside, a fragrant smell wafted toward him. There, he saw Maria busy cooking meat. Nearby were pieces of bread and two bowls of meat stew.
She noticed his arrival.
"Oh, you're awake. Brush your teeth. Today we're having rabbit cutlet. I'm getting tired of eating the stew from the cafeteria."
"Okay, sister." He slathered the toothbrush with toothpaste and ran to the wash basin outside.
***
"I'm done, sister," he said as he approached with a clean face and slick hair.
"Okay, take a seat. I'll set you a plate." She grabbed two pieces of rabbit cutlet, two pieces of bread, and a bowl of stew and passed the plate. "Finish everything, okay?"
"I will, sister. I just wish they would offer more pieces of bread." He grabbed the plate and devoured the food.
"I heard the harvest was supposed to increase by 50% this time, that's why they are in a hurry for a supply run to repair the reservoir pump," she said, hoping for its success. "We can expect an increase in food ration after the repair."
"Also, I didn't realise you liked bread that much. Should you have said earlier, I would've exchanged extra bread for my contribution points." It was new to her.
"The bread is fine. I'm just extra hungry today, but don't trouble yourself, sister," he said. "Besides, we can place an extra order during lunch."
Haha!
"You're right, you can have my bread." She placed a piece of bread on Aden's plate.
"You don't want it, sister?" He asked.
"Aw, you are worried about me? I'm fine. Let's place an extra order for lunch." His consideration touched her.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Lucy took Tom back to their house." She said.
"So, Aunt Lucy took him." He thought to himself. "Will he be okay, sister?"
She saw through his concern and said. "He'll be fine, and don't blame yourself. Nobody could have predicted death hounds in Golden Valley City."
"Thanks, sister. I'll visit Tom and Ethan." Gratitude warmed Aden at Maria's words, but the image of Tom's bloodied form tightened his chest. Guilt still gnawed. He swallowed the last piece of bread and left.
***
Outside, his senses intensified. The relative quietness of the clinic was replaced with the bustling noise from Ethan's forge, muted conversation from a nearby shack, playful laughter from children, footsteps from people's movement, and persistent creaking from the windmill.
Glorious sunshine replaced previous rays, and the rustic aesthetic of the settlement complemented each other. The settlement was sprawling with activity, children playing, barter amongst the residents, and people's movement, especially towards the town hall.
Likewise, the smell of dusty earth kicked up by footsteps, faint woodsmoke from the workshop, and the sweet smell of cafeterian bread permeated his nose.
Tom's House
Tom's house was only a few houses away from the clinic. Aden arrived in no time.
Inside, a familiar place greeted him. Despite the house's small scale, rudimentary appearance, and lack of decorations, it gave off a comfortable feeling.
Sensing his arrival, a woman in her mid-forties with blonde hair approached him. "Aden, what brings you here?"
"Good morning, Aunt Lucy. I'm here to check on Tom." He said.
"He's doing well. You can talk to him. I'll make tea for you guys." She lit the nearby stove.
"Okay, Aunt." He sat beside Tom, lying in the corner bed.
"How are you doing, Tom?" he asked.
Tom opened his eyes, hearing his voice, with a smile. "I'm doing fine, but it sure hurts like hell."
"I'm sorry, Tom. I shouldn't have dragged you to Golden Valley City with me." Aden apologized with a tinge of guilt.
"You don't have to do that, brother. Our luck just ran out. They shouldn't be at that place in the first place."
He grew up with Aden, and he was familiar with Aden's nature and his complicated situation. He didn't blame him for his injury, not even in the slightest.
"So, when are we going on the next scavenger hunt?" He asked as a joke.
Lucy heard their conversation and yelled from her corner. "What? A scavenger hunt? Was getting injured once not enough? Do you want me to beat you to pulp?"
"Geez, Mother. It was just a joke. You're embarrassing me in front of my friend." Lucy's response annoyed him.
"I'm embarrassing you? Good. You'd better erase the thought of a scavenger hunt for a long time," She reprimanded Tom as she passed the tea. "And you, Aden! Don't take unnecessary risks, okay? This kid will cry himself to death if anything were to happen to you."
"Okay, Aunt." He answered while sipping on the tea. Moments later, his cup was empty.
"I'll visit Ethan now. Take care, Tom. Goodbye, Aunt." He stood up and left the house.
"Poor kid," Lucy mumbled at his disappearing figure.
***
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal striking resounded within a workshop. It was located at the back edge of the settlement, where the dense cluster of shacks thinned out near the rust-colored slopes that formed Golden Valley's northern boundary. The air shifted, losing the scent of communal cooking fires and picking up the familiar, sharper tang of oil and hot metal.
It took him about 5 minutes to reach the place. Once there, he came across a big warehouse-like structure made from wooden logs, walled with cinder blocks, and the roof patched with rusty metal sheets.
"Brother Ethan, are you there?" He didn't find Ethan, but the metal clanging never ceased.
"I'm here. Come inside, kid." He heard Ethan's voice amidst the clanging. So, he went in.
On entry, a thick smell filled with old oil, gasoline/diesel fumes, some sort of solvent, and charcoal dust assaulted his nose.
"No matter how often I come here, I can't get used to the smell." He covered his nose with his shirt's sleeve.
Once past the smell, a big space, enough to park at least two cars, greeted his vision. On the right of the car park were two workbenches composed of heavy, scarred wooden covered in ongoing projects: disassembled engine parts, vacuum tubes arrayed for testing, coils of wire, half-repaired radios, and components for the settlement water pump. On the left was a wooden wall filled with nails, hanging on them were the tools (wrenches, hammers, files, pliers, salvaged electrical testers, a hand-crank drill, etc), and right below were shelves made from ammo crates.
On the opposite side of the car park was a small room. It was the source of metal clanging mixed with a loud generator. Aden made his way in. Immediately, he noticed the extremely hot temperature. It felt as if he was inside a volcano. There, Ethan struck a red-hot metal plate. Once the metal cooled, he placed it over a makeshift forge and pumped air using bellows. Then, he placed the red-hot metal over an anvil and hammered it.
"What are you making, Brother Ethan?" Ethan was too busy to notice his presence, so he couldn't help but ask.
Huh!
"Oh, I didn't see you there, Aden. What were you asking again?" His hammering paused.
"What are you making, Brother?" He asked again.
"Uff da, dis thing," Ethan muttered, hefting the metal. "Shield for Captain Franz. He needs it by tomorrow."
"Let's go out, kid. You're just in time for my break." He turned the generator off and left the room, wiping soot from his brows. The man towering over 6'5, and the addition of a muscular body gave him the appearance of a giant. Blue eyes and dark blonde hair, a handsome face covered in a beard, complemented his body and gave a feeling of an 8th-century Viking.
"How are you doing, kid? The last time I saw you, you and Tom were in a bad shape."
"I'm fine, Brother. Tom's doing fine as well. Do you know who's going to the raid tomorrow?" he asked. Maria forbade him from joining, but not from inquiring about it.
"Both of you are fine? That's good. As for the supply run, I don't know all the participants, but I heard Ben will be joining too."
"You mean, Uncle Ben? Tom's father...?" He asked.
"Yeah, him. Also, what happened to the car parts, kid? Did you get it?"
Aden requested to repair a car he found in Golden Valley City. After towing the car back, an inspection revealed that its battery had died, along with all spark plugs, and the filters didn't fare any better. Ethan had promised to fix the car on the condition that he collect all the parts.
"I only got 2 working spark plugs." He took them out of his pants and handed Ethan in disappointment.
Hahaha!
"Don't worry, kid. The car isn't going anywhere. I'll fix it whenever you get the parts. Wanna help me today?" Ethan gave a firm clap on Aden's back.
"Not today, Brother. My muscles are still sore. Maybe next time." He waved goodbye as he stood up to leave.
His boots stuck to the floor, peeling with each step. "This place is always sticky or slippery." He left the workshop while avoiding his shoes from sticking to the floor.
"Tell Maria, I said 'Hi'." Aden heard Ethan shout as the distance between the workshop and him widened.