NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35
After a while we turned more toward the west. The evening rolling in, the sun headed to it's rest.
Longer still, the drive becoming a welcome period of meditation for me. Radio off, window rolled down, the cooling air rushing past.
The stars peeking out, including the artificial ones. Placed above by our manic desire to seek the beyond. I too would like to see what's out there one day.
The desert felt lonely yet peaceful. There was no one traveling these backways. Just us and the wind.
After perhaps too short a time we began to slow. Lights ahead, nestled between a cluster of hills.
We slowed to a stop while Amanda honked a series of quick taps on her horn. A returning series of honks, and we slowly continued.
Their camp came into view. 5 large Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) were arranged in a large circle. Each carried a building on it. A few smaller MRAPS parked inside that circle. Most of the light came from these vehicles. Turning the night into day.
Within the out circle of trucks were tents of all shapes and sizes. Areas full of benches, where dozens of people sat around talking, eating, laughing. Fire pits where various cooking activities occurred.
We parked next to a cluster of more standard vehicles just outside the outer camp circle. A few people were working on some of them. Small mobile lights setup and tool boxes and parts crates close by.
Exiting my car, I could already hear Amanda, Sally and Nolan receiving greetings. I smiled softly, family was a wonderful thing. I'd sometimes forgotten that in all the friction with my parents.
I asked Barry to watch the Galena while the rest of the Probes would hover about an keep an eye on me, maybe patrol the area. I stopped at my truck to grab a couple of backpacks. One when over my shoulder, and I carried the other in my left hand.
Pulling a silver apple out to munch. I walked over to where Amanda was still talking with the folks tinkering with their cars.
"We'll be able to get all the parts we need soon enough, then we can look to getting some better iron and chrome." She was talking a short guy, a grease monkey born if I'd ever seen one. Overalls stained from years of repair and maintenance work. His smile was as dark as his hair, and his eyes burned with a desire to make his cars, his babies, better. Yeah, my kind of dude.
Sally grabbed a blue mango from my backpack, "Guzman, this is Ryan. He's the one providing our new opportunity."
I waved with the apple in my hand and offered the backpack to him. His eyebrows went up and he pulled out a red banana. I nodded, and he returned it. Enough said.
Amanda lead the way into the camp. She and Sally introduced me around, and not that long after, I was sitting on one of the benches, with a beer in hand and a plate of tacos in front of me.
To tell the truth, most names would need a second or third exposure to take, but it was nice to meet so many people in a good way. To share a moment.
I had handed a backpack to one of the older teens to distribute, and set the other down next to the cooking area for who ever wanted them.
There was a calm but vibrant energy in the air. the people here living simple lives, partially free of the sickness hanging over the city folk.
Now, I was being regaled with the story of a raid on a Militech convoy. How Sally had flipped her truck and had to be towed back, her blush told me it was true. "It was my first raid, I was nervous, and that rock came outa nowhere." I patted her hand.
I felt a burning glare. I turned that way to see Lynx trying to kill me with his eyes. Didn't work, but damned if he didn't give it his all. I grinned at him and gave it extra teeth. I took a sip of beer to show him how much his opinion meant to me.
"Don't let him bother you. He's from a different tribe, trying to find a wife with us." Sally said quietly. "He's had his sights on me, but I'm not interested."
"Oh?" I turned to look into her eyes. I gave her the old eyebrow trick.
She laughed at me. "Yeah, I'm not ready to settle down with anyone just yet."
"Gotta have your fun while you can, right?" Now where had I heard that before? Oh right, first girl I tried to date back when I was in trade school.
She gave me a wink.
Not too long after that a impromptu music festival started up. A lively mix of instruments and genres.
Then the dancing broke out and Sally hauled me out for a whirl. These folks liked a mix of Line, Square and Salsa dancing and I was okay with that. Sally and I had a few passes, feeling each other out. Getting used to how we both moved.
The music sped up and we followed. I lead her through a foxtrot and then nudged it into a tango. She was a delight to move with, easy to lead, strong and graceful.
The piece stopped and so did we.
Then a nice girl named Kori wanted a round, then Megan and even Amanda came for a turn or two. Soon I had danced with most of the ladies in the camp. We had all shared a few laughs and small stories of better days.
Finally the paced slowed and Sally was in my arms again, not so much dancing anymore as swaying together, sharing space and warmth. She murmured nice things into my ear, and I whispered of dreams thought lost.
After the music stopped and folks started seeking their beds, we went for a walk outside the camp. Found a nice patch and laid out a blanket to stare up at the stars together. We didn't say much, we didn't need to.
Truth be told I was petrified inside. This was the best date I'd ever had and I was terrified I'd screw it up. But I tried to remember that it was best to go with the flow, not to push. Just take a deep breath and let it go.
We dozed off together under the night sky and the watchful scans of Fix and Scuff.