Loss of communications, community isolation, anticipated violence, fictional politics, implied military violence, briefly implied past captivity, referenced stitches
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Harrison felt a bit guilty watching Wolf shift uneasily in the diner booth. When he had asked if Wolf wanted to be left alone or get breakfast with them, he already knew the answer.
Wolf would clearly rather not go anywhere or do anything, but he was even more reluctant to be left behind. Harrison understood. He couldn’t blame Wolf for agreeing even though they both knew he wasn’t quite up for the clatter and din of the diner and its patrons.
Neither of them wanted to be alone again.
At the very least, Wolf looked better - color in his cheeks, dark hair clean and free of blood. Save for the gauze covering the fresh stitches across the right side of his head, he looked the best Harrison had seen him since before the Box.
“Here’s you go; careful, it’s hot.” The owner and hostess was Merrill’s wife he had discovered. Lucy was her name. It wasn’t a guarantee of the character of this little village, but it did ease Harrison’s mind as he watched the two old women smile at each other and speak in soft whispers.
“How they doin’?”
“Well as they can.”
“And you?”
“Right as rain sugar.”
There was a jingle as the door to the diner opened, a flush of cold air following. Wolf was on high alert, jaw set and eyes sharp as he sized up the threat: Thomas, shaking snow from his hat with a huff.
“Gettin’ bad out there?”
“Naw, just dusting is all.” Thomas gave Lucy a nod before looking to their booth, sliding in next to Harrison. “You boys get something to eat yet?”
“Yessir.” Harrison smiled, giving a lazy salute to the little old lady behind the counter. “Lucy makes a damn good omelette.”
“Don’t overdo it son, I’m in no hurry to see you sick.” Dan sighed, dropping into the booth across from Merrill. (Harrison was grateful on Wolf’s behalf that he was being given personal space.) It didn’t look like Dan’s investigation into the diner’s landline proved insightful.
“Still no phone?”
“Nope. My bet’s they cut it out past the pastures.”
“You’d be right.” Thomas piped up, shooting Harrison an apologetic but grim smile. “Carlisle’s checked their perimeter fence this morning. Phone lines are down and plenty of tire tracks from the south.”
While Dan, Merrill, and Thomas were making a point to busy themselves with their coffee, tea, and bagels Harrison watched the gathering storm in Wolf’s eyes. Something between grief and fear.
“You don’t have any other communications? A cell phone? Radio?” He needed Jennings and their people here ASAP. Nothing annoyed covert ops more than nosy journalists, mostly because they were hard to kill without drawing attention.
“Cell service doesn’t reach out here. Could try driving over to Duck Creek but…”
“Good chance they’re out on the roads.” Dan finished for Thomas, taking a sip of coffee. “As for the radio, anything from the sherif?” Thomas perked up, smile tentative.
“Got him at the edge of its range this morning. Kept it short and sweet but he’s going to do some needling.” He turned to Harrison, clearly trying to be reassuring. “He’s got friends in the nearby installations. Even if he can’t call ‘em off he can at least get a finger on their pulse so we know what we’re dealing with.”
“More than you can handle.”
Harrison could feel Thomas tense beside him, Wolf’s gravelly baritone bringing a hush over the tables. There was still the sizzle of bacon on the griddle and Lucy humming softly to the staticky drone of a country song.
“What makes you say that, son?” Dan’s voice wasn’t accusatory, soft with gentle curiosity, trying to coax more from him. Wolf glanced to Harrison, who gave an encouraging nod when he saw the sharp focus behind his eyes.
“You’re civilians in a civilian town. You can’t win this fight.”
“With all due respect, we can handle ourselves.” Thomas’ self confidence shrunk as Wolf eyed him, gaze flickering to his holstered pistol.
“Have you ever shot a man, Deputy?”
“That’s enough, son.” Dan interrupted before Thomas could reply, a blush rising up the younger man’s ears and his throat bobbing as he looked away. Wolf’s judgement lingered on the deputy before he turned to Dan.
(Harrison would say he was impressed, seeing Wolf choose to ignore a direct commend for even a heartbeat.)
“Past experience aside, none of us are in any condition to dig in for a fight and you are not prepared for a siege.”
“Then what’s the plan Wolf?” Thankfully, Wolf’s intensity shifted to him - something that would have made his stomach turn a few days ago.
“We need to leave.“
“As I said, son, they’re probably on the roads already.”
“Then we best make an effort before the noose closes.”
“Where?” Mer’s question was simple and soft. “Where would you go?” Wolf’s eyes flicked between her and Harrison.
“North.” Harrison shrugged, filling in the sketch of a plan Wolf had provided. “Try and get across the border. Not foolproof but safer than staying in the States, I guess.”
“You can’t just leave; you’re injured, and - ”
“Are we prisoners?” Wolf’s question made Thomas’ mouth snapped closed. When he didn’t reply, Wolf turned his eyes to Dan.
“No. Tommy’s just worried is all.” The old medic gave Harrison a glance of reassurance. “I can walk you down to the Trautmire’s garage. They probably haven’t demo’d the humvee yet.”
Harrison could almost feel the stress leave Wolf’s body language, shoulders easing and expression slackening as he nodded.
“I would like that. Harrison?”
There wasn’t fear in his eyes, no anxious need for approval or support. Harrison felt a smile tug at his lips. He didn’t know if it was another of Wolf’s façades, but at least he seemed to be easing into being his own person again.
“Kinda tired, to be honest.” He laughed weakly, his body genuinely worn down from the energy it took to keep up with the conversation. “I’ll stay here - you can pick me up on your way back.”
It has been a month since I am having online at home, um, how to say this feeling, I just experienced from I was not good at using Canvas at the beginning to I can use some functions now. It will not be the same as the beginning. Every function in Canvas now I experienced at least on time. And more importantly, my mood not be changed from the initial anxiety to helpless acceptance as the traffic problems during the normal semester. Every time I hurried into the classroom, I hurried home after class and I still continued to write homework and participate in the group discussion. Everything is slowly accepting the situation at this stage.
At the beginning of community isolation, everything I felt so uncomfortable. It takes a long queue to enter the supermarket to buy food and commodities every day. Because I do not like queuing, many times I imagined that I would enter the supermarket soon if I went to the supermarket early, but every time, it was already a very long queue when I arrived at the supermarket early in the morning. I had to go to the vegetable market which is next door to buy food. As the number of infected people increased, I also gave up the vegetable market which is crowded to contact sellers in the Facebook group directly. At the same time, I also found a few stores that I have never visited at all. The food prices are reasonable and there are fewer people to buy things there. It can even to say that it is a surprise harvest during this time. The basic food of life is solved, and it is not the daily life of canned bread at least. Every time I purchase multiple varieties through Facebook directly sellers, The total price is still cheap compared with the local market even it needs 200 pesos for the delivery fee, and I need not go to the crowded market to increase the chance of infection. And I also recommended it to my friends. Moreover, I can buy a lot to cook food which I like to eat, and we will share the food with each other.
The most important thing every day for me is to know the local news and school announcements now. Actually, I think about it carefully. Judging by the fact that at least 100 patients continue to increase every day, even if the community isolation is lifted in May, life will not be the same as before. Due to different national conditions, I can not comment on the government ’s policies. I think community isolation policy is the most effective and helpless strategy. As an ordinary person, as long as we only need to follow it. I can feel that this term of government is still very responsive to the local people. From the initial fear of the calmness of the mood, I slowly remembered I was a person who liked to stay at home when I was in Beijing in fact. It's just that life experiences are changing, and it slowly affects personal habits. When I first started studying while working, I always dreamed of traveling around Manila, but every time I was working very busy, the only rest time was used to study, which caused this to be a dream. I quit my job to study at the beginning of this year, and my life suddenly changed from hell to earth. I set myself a goal: To go to the suburbs of Manila at least once a month to climb mountains. But the reality is better than planned, every weekend I climb the mountains with strange friends from a Facebook group. Fortunately, reality is better than planned. Many short trips before community isolation I did. This isolation disrupted all the plans. The Cebu trip that I agreed with my friends during Holy Week was also canceled. I don't know when the next trip will be.
The avocados and lemons that I have just been planted during community isolation have sprouted. What will it be like when the fruits can be eaten many years later?
