35

Remy

Earlier in the dinner conversation, we had been talking about the different ways people contributed to the communal living. Boden had gotten accepted and started his Guardian training, Serg worked in the cafeteria, Lazlo and Nova provided the wares from their farm (crops, eggs, milk, wool), but they also had other jobs. Lazlo played music when he could, and Nova did hunting and foraging.

Nova was the better hunter between her and Lazlo – they both attested to this – and he was also weakened by his old knee injury. The only reason I had run into him at the farmhouse a couple years ago and not Nova was because she had been nursing their daughter at the time.

Back at the lakehouse, I provided for the family primarily by hunting, foraging, and chopping wood. Ripley had always gone with me, but I was a good shot with the crossbow.

Since this was the only thing I had any proficiency in, Nova suggested that I go hunting with her on her next expedition outside of the town. And because I couldn't think of any good reason to say no, I had said yes.

That was how I ended up meeting Nova outside the entrance at dusk two days later. It was going to be her and Eden, the assistant who worked at Jovie's clinic. The hunting trips were infrequent enough that most hunters had another job.

In addition to Eden, Nova had also brought her mule, Vince, and her two wolves, Frost and Sable. I knew Vince from his travelling with Lazlo, but I had never met the wolves. The canines were massive, both of them on thick leather leads, and the smaller of the two had a muzzle.

"I didn't realize the pets were coming," I said. I had left Ripley at home with Stella. The lion didn't really want to be away from her much.

"The wolfdogs are good at a hunt," Nova assured me, and scratched the bigger one behind the ears. "They're just not good with people."

"But who can really blame them for that?" Eden joked, and she smiled down at me. "It'll be nice to have you on the hunt, Remy, as long as you can keep up with us."

"I will do my best," I said.

"Once we get through the gates, there's a chance for zombies or bears, so be ready to go," Nova explained as we made our way toward them. "We'll be hiking to the west until nearly dusk. The mule deer like to pass through that area at this time of year. We should be able to get a few and leave in the morning. We should be back to Emberwood eating venison by suppertime tomorrow."

"Sounds good," I said.

"Oh, and when we come back in, they will examine you," Eden reminded me, pointing to the maze of chain link fences and tiny shacks for the exams. "They do it thoroughly every time you come in to keep the town free of the virus. So let us know if you are bitten, because they will catch it, and they will execute you immediately. If you tell us, we'll just let you wander off to live with the other zombies if you want."

Since there was no inspection on the way out of Emberwood, passing through the exit went much quicker. We just walked out a gate into a holding area. Once the interior gate closed, the exterior gate opened, and we went outside of the town.

As soon as the gate closed behind us, Nova unleashed and unmuzzled the wolves, and they jogged on ahead of us.

"How are Stella and the baby doing?" Eden asked as we hiked on the even terrain down the sloping hill. "I haven't seen her much since she left Jovie's."

"They're both doing good, almost better than we could hope after a difficult pregnancy and premature birth," I said. "But I do think Stella's getting a little stir crazy being trapped inside with the baby. She was used to spending her days outside in the summers, swimming in the lake, and climbing trees with Ripley and Max.

"I do miss that about my old homestead," Nova said, wistfully. "We had acres of land for my daughter and the animals to roam. Even Harlow and Kimber would spend most of their time outside."

"That is the trade-off of society versus living off-grid," Eden said. "But I was alone for too long before I ended up here, and I know that I would be doing so much worse without the community."

"No, I know, and I am so grateful for Emberwood," Nova agreed. "I don't know what would've happened to my family after the fire. With Harlow's burns and losing our house in the dead of winter, we barely even survived as it was."

"How is Harlow?" I asked. "I haven't been able to spend much time with her."

"She's strong and resilient," Nova said. "In the beginning of summer, when Lazlo and I decided to get married, she insisted on making our clothes. I'd tried to get her to rest, but she insisted, and my dress was amazing. "

"It really was," Eden chimed in. "I attended the wedding, and it was such a beautiful day. The apple blossoms were in bloom."

They had only been married a few months. That's why Lazlo hadn't told me about it. He hadn't had the chance.

"What did you wear when you got married?" Eden asked me. "I know I'm a badass frontierswoman, but I do still love fashion."

"Um. I didn't really wear anything." I shrugged. "Like, it was a nonevent. Boden and I have been together so long that… we're just married."

"Not very romantic, but it is pragmatic," Eden said.

"That is usually how the post-apocalypse goes," I muttered.

By midday, the landscape had change from felled trees to dark scorched earth and fresh greens. As we passed through, Eden explained that the wildfires had come through in the spring.

We talked somewhat, but mostly we were quiet, not wanting to scare off any prey. The wolves walked in front of us, but they stayed closer to us than Ripley did with me when we went hunting.

At dusk, we spotted a herd of mule deer crossing the valley. We crouched down in the brush on the ridge, and Nova sent the wolves around to loop back and chase the deer up to us. It worked amazingly, and between Eden, Nova, and myself, we were able to kill four mule deer. That would provide us with plenty of meat and hides.

With the light fading, Eden started a fire to keep away wild animals, and so we could see well enough to field dress the deer carcasses we'd strung up in the trees. It was a laborious and sometimes gruesome process, but it was necessary to do right away to keep the meat safe until we could return with it tomorrow .

"Save the stomach and the intestines," Nova told me as I worked. "We use them to feed the zombies."

I stopped and looked over her. "Why are we feeding the zombies?"

"Back at Emberwood. We feed them at the north wall so they don't linger around the south gate," Nova reminded me.

"Feeding zombies just seems so antithetical to everything I've ever known," I said.

"If it keeps us safe, I don't see what the problem is," Nova said.

Something about the way she spoke, it reminded me of a conversation with Lazlo when I had first saw him at the old farmhouse.

"You think that zombies aren't dangerous anymore?" I had asked him.

"No, of course not. They're incredibly dangerous. But so are sharks and bears and lions." He glanced over at Ripley strolling around, and corrected himself with, "Well, wild lions, at least. But maybe some zombies can be domesticated or aren't that bothersome if you give them space."

That wasn't something that I had believed then, and I still didn't now.

"It's really helpful keeping them occupied with all the visitors coming and going, especially with the Emberwood Fest coming up," Nova went on.

"Emberwood Fest?" I asked.

"It's this big festival we have every year on the harvest moon to celebrate surviving another summer before the winter closes us in for so many months," Nova explained.

I frowned as I thought about what she was saying. "So, you have this town full of people where you feed zombies, and then you invite strangers from all over to come and party with you? And all of this is safe?"

"It has been so far," Eden said, sounding unfazed. " I do understand that all of this might sound risky to you, but Emberwood is about more than just doing the bare minimum so we never rock the boat. Life is for living, otherwise what's the point?"