Days Since...: Xavier: Day 853

Chapter One

The sun crested the horizon, pushing morning light through the slits in the metal sheets that now covered the alcoves in the wall. Broken glass had been swept from the floor, and gradually, over time, bits of rubble flaked from the stressed concrete and brick replaced it.

A flickering dust danced through the rays of light as it moved across the stained linoleum floor toward Xavier. He began to stir from his dream as the light crept up the legs of his cot.

“Xavier, I have to go, honey. I’m sorry.”

“Mom, no. You have to stay. Please!”

“Brown County’s in rough shape. There just aren’t enough physicians to help with all the sick people out there. I have to go. I have a duty to help others.”

“You can stay here. People need help here, too.”

“Dad’s going to stay with you two. He’ll handle things while I’m gone. He’s fully capable of caring for you both.”

“But he’s not a doctor. What if we get sick? What if Dad gets sick? I can’t handle that. You know me and Tara can’t do that.”

“None of you are going to get sick, but if you do, I’ll come back, okay? Here’s the number for where I’ll be. Don’t worry. Nothing bad is going to happen. It’s just a flu virus. It’s just giving people a cough.”

“But Matt said people are dying. He said that a lot of people are dying from this.”

“Matt doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’ve been following this thing for a while now. The folks that have died already had issues. They’re not dying because of this. Healthy people don’t die from the flu.”

“Promise?”

“Of course I do.”

“Please say it.”

“I promise nothing bad will happen.”

“You can’t promise that if you aren’t here.”

“Xavier, ju— don’t do this. You and your sister are both good, healthy kids. I’ll probably be gone a month. No longer than that. You have to stop worrying about this.”

“How can you leave your family to go take care of strangers?”

“Xavier, please! It’s already hard enough. You’ll understand when you’re older. Someday, you’ll have to stick your neck out there for something bigger than yourself. It’s just my turn do it now.”

“But we’ll miss you. It’s not going to be the same if you’re gone.”

“You know I’ll miss you too. I’ll never stop thinking about you guys. You better help your dad and mind after your sister. I’ll be back. I promise I’ll be back.”

“I believe you, Mom.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Xavier pulled a worn blanket, patched with old curtains and duct tape, over his head—just a little while longer before having to face life again. If only sleep could bring enough time to get through this, bring about the old, familiar world.

His eyes twitched in response to the alarm clock begging him to wake. He grabbed it from the floor and began to wind its crank. It had to be done carefully, replacing it would be nearly impossible.

The curled knuckles of his index fingers worked the sleep from his eyes. He loosely wrapped the ticking clock inside a t-shirt, slid it underneath the cot, and grabbed the only pair of shoes he owned. They rested side by side in front of him as he sat with his hands tucked underneath his chin. He sighed. Would today be the day they finally rejected him? He forced his feet, one at a time, past the tongues of his miserable shoes. A sense of relief curled his lips into a smile.

He stood from his cot, barely awake, with both feet pressed firmly against the floor, stretching his fingers toward the ceiling. The walls seemed to be pulled in by several feet—his personal space dwindling. It was only a matter of time until they started fabricating bunk beds out of old scaffolding or whatever scrap they could find. This is crazy. How many more people are they going to try and cram in here?

Xavier pinched two corners of his worn blanket, flung the other end forward, and floated it down over his empty cot as he eyed a few of the Second Alliance Guards doing the same. It doesn’t matter how many of them end up staying here. They’ll never be one of us. It’s not possible. Nobody wants you guys here. Don’t care how much protection you think you give us.

He glared at them a bit longer before starting toward the opposite wall of the sleeping quarters, moving past the cots of the other residents assigned there—each person waking to their own individual routine. Their groans and yawns acted as birds calling out, each one responding, growing louder, trying to outdo one another. The odor of sweat and moist bedding went unnoticed. Xavier had been there long enough for his nose to accept it as simply, air.

“Hey, do you mind if I—?” Xavier pointed to the footlocker at the end of Matt’s cot.

“Naw, you’re good,” Matt said. “You know you don’t have to ask, man.” He rubbed across his patchy moustache and beard. “Haven’t shaved in a long time. I think it’s starting to come in really good now. What do you think?”

Xavier shot him a look. It doesn’t look any different.

“You’ll start getting yours soon enough.”

“I already have.” Xavier looked up at Matt, turning his head so he could show off the two hairs poking from his chin. “See.”

“Nice.” Matt smirked. “A real man now.”

“Whatever…”

Xavier pushed the footlocker against the eastern wall. He ran his hand up and down the metal sheet that rested where a window once hung. It was generally smooth, but high-caliber gunfire had spoiled its overall condition—some spots worse than others. The slits in the metal sheets provided a limited view of the world beyond River’s Edge. Xavier from time to time would peek out. This one time… Mom. Dad. Come on! Come home… I need you guys. I don’t want to do this alone anymore. Today, only the trees and wild brush swaying in the wind greeted him.

In the distance, he could spot the houses which broke the natural line of trees that ran along the hillsides, eventually giving way to the skyscrapers of downtown—those dreary colossal figures. The throughways to the urban core were barren. The automobiles that cruised the smooth concrete were forgotten, waiting in their driveways and garages. The scene appeared as a model that was never touched by its creator—habitable, but abandoned.

Xavier remembered life before. Before the Almawt virus ripped the world apart. It had been over two years since the last victim passed away. Over two years since the structures built by the most dominant species Earth had ever known lay dormant. Houses, where the middle class raised their children, no longer lit up the hillsides. The manicured lawns and paved roads were filled with weeds and dust. Although he couldn’t bring himself to return there, he could still point out his house among the tall oaks and ash trees.

“Thanks.” Xavier left the alcove and returned the footlocker.

“Any luck today?” Matt asked.

“I’m not sure luck exists anymore.”

“It does. Just takes more to find it.” He patted Xavier on the back and then squeezed his shoulder. “Your dad told us the only way to lose is by giving up. Just gotta keep looking for it.”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Xavier’s voice faded as he looked toward the alcove again. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been out there. It’s kind of crazy to think about, huh?”

“Yeah…” Matt nodded. “Hey! You got something new going on today?”

“I won’t really know until I get over to the shop. You know how Grant is.” Xavier rolled his eyes. “We always have something new he wants to get started on. It feels like we never get anything done, but… whatever. What about you?”

“Me and Jenny gotta make some repairs to the wall on the river side. Some Guard saw someone on a motorboat passing through. Freaked him out or something, so they just want some stuff fixed up. Shouldn’t take more than a day or two,” he said, reassuring himself. “Just can’t help but think that boating’s a waste of gas.”

“Did they do anything other than cruise through?”

“Naw, not that I know. They don’t really tell me nothing. Just fix this or fix that. You know how things go around here now.” Matt gestured toward one of the Guards. “Everything’s a secret now.”

Xavier nodded. “You mentioned Jenny. How’s she doing?” Xavier’s face filled up with a partial grin.

“Meh, still nosy as ever.” Matt shook his head with a discouraged look upon his face. “Always in someone else’s business, and I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. She don’t listen. I didn’t have a choice but to end it. She’s gonna get into trouble someday.”

“Probably. She’s really cute though.” Xavier held a completely full grin now.

“Get outta here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but…” He leaned in toward Matt. “If you two aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

“Go on! Get outta here,” he said while nudging Xavier away. “You about ready?”

Matt bent down, unlocked his footlocker, and grabbed a small, canvas bag from inside. Xavier did the same from his, and they made their way down the hall to the bathroom.

“Barely gonna be a wait for us today,” Matt said, as he placed his feet in line for the sinks during the morning rush.

“Good. We might not have much time before they take the lamps out to recharge.” Xavier eyed the solar-powered lanterns that were strung across the ceiling.

The men’s room was relatively open now. Toilets had been discarded in favor of a long white trough running the length of the room. It was secured to the wall at a slight downward angle ultimately terminating into a pipe that took the liquid waste from the building and into the river.

The sinks were relatively unchanged from the past, evenly spaced from one another, hanging from the wall opposite the trough. The only additions to them were the pipes that ran down from the ceilings.

Without running water, they had to rely on gravity and the reservoir tanks that rested on the school’s roof. Each sink’s pipe was fixed with two separate valves—one to get your allowance of water and the other to slowly release it for use. Each had a bucket underneath that caught the gray water from the drains.

Xavier and Matt hustled to find a spot in line for the sinks during the morning rush.

They waited patiently as their places in line moved them closer to the sinks. The chatter and laughter growing inside the room echoed, drowning out any individual conversation. The old bathroom etiquette of no eye contact and no talking was tossed aside. It was now a social event.

Xavier stepped forward, unzipped his bag, and placed his toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink. He tightened the lower valve of the water pipe and loosened the top one. The pipe filled with his allowance. He reversed the order, and a slow trickle began to run over his toothbrush. After he finished brushing his teeth, he splashed his face and ran the remaining water through his hair. He put away his things and went to leave.

“Hey! You better dump that bucket.”

He turned back toward the sinks and caught the scornful look of Geoff Rupert, his beady eyes locking onto Xavier. Geoff was the unfortunate man tasked with maintaining the latrines. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, the job included the outdoor bucket holes and burying the excrement outside the town’s wall.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was above the line.” Damn it—Xavier pulled the bucket from underneath the sink and put a spare one in its place—don’t apologize to that jerk. That’s why he has that crappy job. He’s too dense to realize if he’d only play nice, maybe he could do something else. Maybe he’d have someone on his side for a change.

He waddled over to the trough, the bucket unsteady in his grip. He set it on the floor and then relieved himself into the channel. Once he was finished, he leaned the bucket against the higher end and tilted it to a slow pour.

The gray, filmy water rushed toward the drainage pipe lifting whatever other filth lay along the way. It pooled at the bottom, waiting its turn to escape into the Ohio River. He noticed Rupert watching him as he returned the bucket. His close-set eyes glaring hate into Xavier’s being.

“There we go,” Xavier said, as he placed the bucket with the spares.

“Took you long enough.” Rupert puffed his chest out. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Xavier stared at him while shaking his head, then very deliberately spoke above the crowd, “I’ll see you later, Matt.”

Matt turned toward him, his eyes wide while trying to force a few words through a mouthful of toothpaste. He reached for Xavier, begging him to stop, but it was too late. Xavier had spun straight into a Guard—his body recoiled then crumpled to the floor.

“Watch it!”

Xavier looked up at him while scrambling to gather his feet underneath him. “Sorry. I—I—“

“Don’t let it happen again.” The Guard stepped over him rather than around. “What’re you lookin’ at?” he snapped at the onlookers, but no one dared speak.

Xavier fled from the bathroom. I’m so sick of this crap. He returned to his footlocker to secure his toiletries, slamming the lid in the process. I should light their beds on fire. Do something. He sighed and took a quick look around. I could get away with it. Who would tell? No one likes these guys. Seriously, who the hell would say anything? A few strong footsteps broke up his thoughts as they neared. Another Guard. Whatever… screw these guys. Xavier watched the man for a moment before heading out. Time for work. Again.

He drifted toward the maintenance shop, being led there by a discoloration of the floor that grew darker the closer you came. Xavier stopped—Classroom 101 always seemed to get in the way. The old desks were still there. ‘X was here’ carved along the bottom edge of the one. A juvenile act done against a dare. He immediately regretted it upon finishing. Not that he faced any punishment for it. It just wasn’t like him to do it. He was a good student and had a fond recollection of school.

Those classroom activities began to stir again as he sorted the memories highlighting his last year of normalcy. Life seemed so difficult at the time. Now, he longed for those problems—the minutiae of a child’s life—chores, homework, and play. A weak smile creased his face as he remembered his classmates. Most of them were gone now, including his sister. “I survive for you,” he said aloud.

“Here again?” One of the few teachers left in the town asked.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“Need a refresher on your measurin’?” She chuckled to herself while she sorted through some objects on her desk. “I’m gettin’ low on pencils again. All we got are nubs. You got any in the shop?”

“I doubt we have any extras,” Xavier said, “but supply should still have plenty.”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

“I’ll see you around.”

“When ya goin’ to stop dwellin’ on the past? You’re here every mornin’.”

Xavier forced a smile. “I don’t know.” He took his hand from the frame of the door and continued along the discolored floor.

“About time,” a rough voice remarked, as Xavier stepped foot into the maintenance shop. “We’re gonna have a long day ahead if we don’t start now. ‘C’ and ‘E’ are about down. The belts begun to whine, and they gonna need replacin’.”

“Okay, Grant. Give me a second,” Xavier said, as he surveyed the room.

Many of the workers rushed about, gathering tools, preparing themselves for the day’s work. A few stragglers hung about the water cooler, gossiping and discussing the work they were going to do.

“We’re going to need some water too, X,” Alex said.

Alex. What a joke. “Why can’t you do it?”

“Your turn, boy,” Grant interjected.

Alex smirked, taking his glasses from his nose and wiping them gently with his handkerchief. A certain smugness about him as he returned to his conversation. The conversation he interrupted for the sole purpose of getting after Xavier.

“Alright, alright, I hear you. Everyone’s on me this morning, huh? Are any of you at least getting breakfast for us?”

“Breakfast?” Grant asked. “Boy, you must be crazy. Two meals, early lunch and dinner—that’s it. Ordered by the S.A., and they sayin’ we’re lucky to get that.”

“Since when?”

“Today’s when. Where you been? They been talkin’ about it for weeks. Surprised you haven’t heard it was comin’ down the pipe.”

“And the council approved it?”

“They didn’t have much choice but to do it. It’s all parta that deal now. We’re gonna have to make changes from here on out to fall in line with their expectations, or it could all fall apart.”

That might not be all bad.

Xavier stared blankly at Grant picking through the pile of dirty, grease-covered parts in the corner. He couldn’t help but worry that he was in the presence of his future—the life of a lonely, overworked man. Maintenance was much safer than scavenging or exploring, and Xavier knew that, but he still wanted something better for himself.

He certainly didn’t want Grant’s life. The wear and tear. The blackened mixture of dirt and oil that remained under his fingernails. All the long wrinkles in his forehead that spanned his entire brow. A constant reeking of gasoline—his cologne of choice. The stress of maintaining a town held together with scraps animated itself as slight tremors in his sixty-year-old hands.

“Why you lookin’ at me like that, boy?”

“Zoning out.”

“We ain’t got time for no zonin’. Don’t let that breakfast stuff get you down. We gotta worry about stuff we can help, so get your ass movin’.” Grant clapped his hands together several times. “These generators ain’t gonna make it much longer. We’ll tinker with these a bit then we’re gonna start on somethin’ else.”

Xavier sorted through the rubber belts that hung on the wall. “These will fit ‘C’ and ‘E’, right?”

“Lemme see.” Grant took the belts from Xavier and examined them. “This one here ain’t gonna help nothin’. Look at these cracks.” He traced them with his fingernail. “Minor, but they’re there. That’d be a whole other day’s work had we put these on. Not to mention had it damaged the mechanics.”

“How’d you see those?” Xavier leaned in and squinted at the belts that lay in Grant’s dirty palms.

“You needin’ glasses, boy? What else can’t you see? We can’t be makin’ mistakes with this stuff. Lemme put in a scavengin’ request for some glasses.”

“My eyes can’t be that ba—”

“Boy, it don’t matter. Can’t risk mistakes. Lemme write this out, and you take it down to supply. See what they got. I’ll get to these belts, so don’t you worry about them.” Grant found a scrap piece of paper and scrawled out the request. The writing bounced along with his tremors—it was barely legible.

“Are they going to know what this is?” Xavier rotated it, puzzled on which way it went.

“Yep. They know my writin’ over there. If not, just tell them what you need, but make sure you get the water before you go.” Grant pointed toward the water cooler sitting between Alex and his friend still chatting with no intention of working yet.

How the hell does he get away with this?

Xavier folded the order and placed it in a pocket of his ill-fitting cargo pants. The weight of his hand drooped them considerably from his bony hips. He adjusted his frayed leather belt, slipping the buckle’s prong through the last hole. The next step would be punching his own notches in the belt, and now with only two meals a day, it was almost a certainty.

Reaching between Alex and his even lazier friend, Xavier grabbed the orange water cooler. He hung it over his shoulder as he made his way from the hallway into the school’s courtyard. As he stepped onto the worn path that cut through to the other side of the school, his empty stomach began to growl.

He eyed the crops that grew just beyond his reach. It was tempting, but he wouldn’t dare take without permission. The Second Alliance Sentries watching over the courtyard with their rifles served as a constant reminder of the repercussions for interfering with the town’s food stock.

Xavier stopped for a moment to admire the impressive garden—organized and maintained. Only the makeshift wall of metal and wood separated the uniformity of the crops from the wildness of nature.

Women and young children sang as they worked among the neat rows of stalks and vegetation. Xavier couldn’t help but sing along to the words that he remembered from when he was younger. He looked on while the kids half-played and half-worked—running, digging; laughing, planting. They seemed so happy. Those days were over for Xavier. At fifteen, he was considered a man among the citizens of River’s Edge.

“Everything looks all right,” Xavier said out loud to himself, as he started toward the farm supervisor. He inspected the water lines that ran along the furrows while he continued in her direction—any excuse to talk to her. She had only recently joined River’s Edge but had already made a strong impression upon the settlement. She was sharp. She had to be. Her position was too important.

He watched her as he moved closer. The morning light accentuated her blonde hair that hovered lightly over her shoulders. Her arms were striped in varying shades of brown from long days in the sun. He remembered her eyes being blue but couldn’t be sure. There were only a handful of times he had been close enough to notice. Xavier knew that she was born three years before him. He had overheard some of the older teens talking about her, dwelling on her soft appearance, discussing how she was legal now. Legal? What does that even mean anymore?

Xavier stalled, briefly peering at her through the spaces between the leaves and stems. She’s so beautiful. He started again. As he neared, she faced him, breaking her conversation with a younger boy. She patted the boy on his bottom, and he ran off giggling toward the livestock pens.

“It’s good to see the water lines are still working,” Xavier said, his eyes lazily assessing the situation, wanting more than anything just to rest upon her.

“You’re not kidding. It was only a slight hiccup yesterday, but I’m afraid it’s only going to keep getting worse.” She lifted one of the water lines slightly from the dirt and let it fall back into place. “Several of the hand pumps are getting old and aren’t pushing enough out. Something needs to be done to their seals. We have their bases wrapped with tarps to catch the water as it leaks, but really, they just need to be replaced.”

Xavier paused for a moment. I don’t know if we even have any more of those. “I’ll talk to Grant, but I think the best we can do is disassemble them and rebuild.”

“If that’s what it takes, that’s fine.” She turned her gaze over to the hand pumps. “I’m just trying to look ahead. What we have still works, but it’s not ideal.” She turned back to Xavier, her face cracking a smile. “If it stays like this, that leaky pump will eventually flood the whole courtyard. We’ll probably all drown.”

“Really?” Xavier smiled. “You’re ridiculous.”

She laughed. “No joking around with you, Mr. Serious.”

Xavier politely laughed with her.

“We really do appreciate the help,” she said. “I’m just teasing with you.”

“No, I know. I don’t mind a good joke now and then… Just let me know when you have one.”

“I see what you did there.” She smirked while rolling her eyes.

“Anytime something comes up just let us know. It’s not a big deal. I’ll make sure I let Grant know about the pumps, but it’ll be up to him what we do with them.”

She nodded.

“Oh, and speaking of Grant, he was upset last time it rained. You guys have to make sure the gutters get diverted back to the interior reservoir tanks.”

“Yeah, I know. I filled out the situation report and gave it to the mayor’s office. It was an oversight on our part and won’t happen again.”

“I know you know, but that’s Grant for you. He’ll bring it up again. I’m just giving you a heads up.”

“Fair enough. You want something before you go?” She gestured toward the baskets of fresh produce.

“Maybe later.” He raised the water cooler slightly from his shoulder. “I have to fill it up before I do anything else.”

He took the cooler over to the tanks of filtered water and set it in the grass just below the spigots. He opened the valve and listened while it filled with the day’s ration. The water flowed freely, splashing as it fell until it slowed to drops as Xavier closed the valve. He lugged the cooler back toward the hallway.

“I still have to go by supply after this. Is it okay if I come back through later and grab something?” Xavier asked.

“Yeah. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll be here.”

“Can I grab something for Grant too?”

“It probably wouldn’t hurt to butter him up a bit.”

“Not at all. That’s why I asked.”

“Figured… It’s Xavier, right?”

“Yea-ah,” Xavier’s voice cracked. His demeanor soured in front of her. He tried to walk away but stumbled a bit, spilling some of the water. Xavier’s cheeks turned red.

“Do you remember mine?”

A blank expression hung upon Xavier’s face as he tried to gather himself to say something. Anything. But he didn’t. He just stood there. He set the cooler down and reached out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you…” Ugh, what is it?

“Lana… You really didn’t know?”

“I’m not sure you ever told me.”

“Fair enough.”

She smiled at him as he broke his grip from hers. He turned and slunk away from the awkward end to their conversation. Nice to meet you? Nice to meet you? What’s wrong with you? “Remember her name. Lana. Lana,” he muttered under his breath as he made his way back to the maintenance shop. “Just keep it simple when you go back for the food.”

The promise of breakfast excited him. He picked up his pace, causing the water to smack against the lid of the cooler. He had already spilled once and couldn’t afford to lose more. Slow down.

“Hey, Alex! Help me with this!” Xavier called into the shop. Seconds passed. “Come on, Alex! It’ll only take a minute!”

Alex peeked around the corner then ducked his head back in.

“I just saw you! Come on!”

Alex’s head returned, and this time his body followed it out into the hallway. He trudged over to Xavier and grabbed one of the handles. They made their way into the shop and set the cooler down on its shelf. The main room was empty except for the two of them. It was clear that Alex was hiding out. Unbelievable! Everyone else is out working while Alex does nothing. I know I shouldn’t say this, but “Thanks,” Xavier forced it through his teeth.

“I’ll do you the favor of boiling the water.”

“A favor? For me? Really?” Xavier tilted his head with disbelief. “I’m pretty sure everyone will be drinking water today.”

“I’m serious.” Alex nodded. “Seriously, I’ll get it, X.”

“Don’t try and act like that, Alex,” Grant said from the back room. “I told him to do it, so you can get to supply. Now hurry on over.”

“I guess I’ll be off to get my glasses now.”

“I heard,” Alex grumbled.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I guess so.”

“You like your glasses?”

“You get used to them. Like most things.”