Out Of The Ashes (The Ending Series, #3) (47 page)

35

JAKE

JUNE 17, 1AE

Bodega Bay, California

After giving their names at the
heavily guarded wall, Jake and Jason rode their horses into New Bodega,
construction plans and “shopping” lists rolled up and strapped to their
saddles.

“They should have one of those serpentine
belts somewhere, right?” Jason asked.

Jake nodded, leaning down and patting
Brutus’s shoulder. “Yeah, but the question is whether or not they’d let me use
one…or three.”

“We have plenty to barter with,
I’m sure.”

Jake shrugged as a thought
occurred to him. “I guess if they don’t have any quarter-inch belts, I can look
for a different-sized chain,” he said. “Although I’m not sure a chain would be
as efficient.”

“I’ve got to stop in the hardware
store, too. I need a few more clamps if I’m going to get that additional shed
up before the first wave gets here from Tahoe. I just hope the shop has some.”

Jake tried to imagine making room
for another group of people on the Farm. “When’s that happening?”

Jason squinted out at the harbor
as it came into view. “A couple weeks. They’re just passing through. When Dani
checked in with Lance last night, he told her there’s another farm a few miles
past ours that’s ready to be worked if there are willing, capable bodies. And
Holly and Hunter said they have a few group members who are more than willing.”

Jake stretched in his saddle. “That’s
good. It’ll be nice to have another farm close by.” He scanned the mostly
abandoned street.

Fog still hung low, but Jake had
grown used to living near the coast and knew it would burn off by midday. The
clip-clopping sound of horse hooves on the pavement echoed in the morning fog
as they rode toward the town center. Beyond the boathouse, Jake could barely
make out the tents compiling the marketplace.

The two of them meandered in
silence, taking in their surroundings as they rode further down the winding
road.

Jason pointed to the bike rack–hitching
post in front of Town Hall. “Let’s see what they have in the way of materials,
then we’ll worry about the crab.”

Jake nodded. “Dani’s gonna love
you for that.”

A broad smile engulfed Jason’s
scarred face. “I know.”

Jake chuckled as they secured
their horses to the bike rack. After unstrapping his backpack, he turned toward
the morning market and bustling merchants readying their tents and tables for
the day. There was a fresh produce stand with eggs and veggies, a seafood tent,
another displaying jewelry and gemstones, and others with leather bags and
crocheted blankets, jams, and jellies…the tents and stands went on and on.

After Jason patted his horse’s withers
and pulled his pack up onto his shoulder, he headed across the street to the hardware
store.

“I’ll meet you in there,” Jake
said and walked beside Jason. He broke away, heading toward the hunting and
fishing supply shop. “I need to get some more arrows for Zoe and the boys.”

Jason nodded and continued on toward
the store a few doors down.

Jake entered the first shop in the
row, greeting the older woman at the counter before he began to sort through
what few options the shop owner had in the way of arrows. Zoe had been spending
a lot of time practicing archery, meaning she was getting better and breaking
less arrows, but she was still going through them pretty quickly. Although Jake
hadn’t told Zoe about it, Jason had agreed to teach him a thing or two about
woodworking so he could make custom arrows for her…eventually. He wanted it to
be a surprise.

“Sorry, it’s not much,” the woman
said, her eyes not leaving the weathered paperback book in her hand. She pushed
her reading glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. “I should have more stock
in within the next few weeks. Just waiting for the next big scavenging trip to
the city.”

Jake made a noncommittal noise
before picking a set of arrows he thought would suffice and trading a quart of
goat’s milk for them.

“Thank you,” he said, giving her a
slight wave as he pushed open the door.

“Have a good day.”

Jake headed out the door and
toward the hardware store a couple doors down. When he stepped into the tiny
shop, he expected to find Jason poring over the new chisel sets and the sharpeners
that lined the shelves, but Jake didn’t see Jason at all. The portly shopkeeper,
with his long hair and even longer beard, was the only occupant. He strolled up
to the counter from the workshop in back.

When he looked up, he flashed Jake
a welcoming smile. “Morning.”

With a nod, Jake approached the
counter. “Morning. I’m looking for my friend, Jason. I was supposed to meet him
in here.”

The shopkeeper shrugged. “I’ve
only had a few people in this morning. What’s he look like?”

“He’s a big guy, dark hair?”

The man chuckled. “I’ve lived here
for years…seen a lot of visitors by that description.”

“Perfect. You might know his
family, actually—the Cartwrights?”

Although the shopkeeper’s
expression never wavered, Jake could have sworn some of the color drained from
the man’s face.

Jake took a step closer to the counter. “Everything okay?”

The man seemed to blink himself
back to the present and nodded. “I
did
just open up. Your friend
might’ve come up when the door was locked.” He busied himself behind the
counter, and Jake got the distinct impression the man was avoiding his gaze.

“Did you know the family?” Jake
asked as he glanced around the shop, wondering if Tom had been a regular back
in the day.

“I did, actually.” He cleared his
throat. “I was a friend of their father’s.” He stilled for a moment and met
Jake’s eyes. “Honestly, I thought they were all dead.”

Jake shook his head. “Not all of
them.” Jake stood there a moment, contemplating. “Alright, well, thanks
anyway.”
He
turned to leave just as the door opened, and Jason walked in.

“Morning,” he said to the
shopkeeper, who offered him a tight-lipped smile in return.

“Good morning.”

Jason scanned the store. “I need
three twelve-inch hand-screw clamps, if you have any.” He laughed softly and
shook his head. “Zoe’d love the smell of this place.”

Jake watched the shopkeeper,
waiting for him to check his inventory, but he just stood there, watching Jason
intently. Jason didn’t seem to notice the man’s scrutiny.

“Did you have those clamps?” Jake
prompted, and Jason turned his attention back to the counter.

“If you don’t,” Jason said, “I’ll
take three of the closest thing you’ve got.”

The shopkeeper gave him a curt
nod. “I’ve got ’em,” he said. “Just a moment.” He headed into the attached
workshop.

When he returned, he set the clamps
out on the counter.

“These will be great, thanks,” Jason
said.

As the shopkeeper wrapped up the
clamps, his eyes narrowed slightly on Jason, then on Jake. “What are you boys
building?” he asked.

“A new shed.” Jason pulled his
pack off his shoulder and set it up on the counter, preparing to barter with
the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper waved him away.

“It’s on the house,” he said and
slid the wrapped clamps over to Jason.

Jason looked thoroughly confused.

“He knew your father,” Jake explained
when the shopkeeper said nothing. Jake watched the owner’s placid expression.

Jason’s head tilted to the side. “Really?”
He outstretched his hand. “I’m Jason. I’m afraid I don’t remember you.”

The shopkeeper extended his hand,
as well. “Charles, and don’t worry. I wouldn’t expect you to.”

~~~~~

“Zoe, can you get me the diagrams you’re
working on for the farm?” Jason asked as he walked up the porch steps. “I’m
trying to figure out where we need to focus our attention.”

Zoe nodded. “I guess I’ll practice later.”
She winked at Jake as she set her bow and new set of arrows on the porch railing
and headed inside for the diagrams she’d been sketching. It had been a few
weeks since Biggs had left with the twins, and Jake was glad to see Zoe was
finally getting some of her pep back and finding her groove again.

“You planning on finishing the shed in one
day?” Jake asked. “I know you like projects, but…” He smiled.

“Just trying to keep everyone busy.
Between you and me, I’m hoping the shed’ll be done in the next couple of days. If
Harper and Tavis can have enough of the field dug up, we can—”

The crunch-crunch of hooves on gravel came
from the end of the long driveway. Jake turned his head to watch a gray horse
and rider pass through the open gate. When he noticed the shaggy-faced, portly
man from the hardware store, he frowned.

“What’s he doing here?” Jason asked,
looking at Jake.

“I don’t know,” Jake said. “He was acting
strange at the shop…”

“Really?” Jason eyed Jake. “I thought he
seemed like a nice enough guy. You don’t trust him?”

“Not completely, no.”

Exhaling heavily and scratching the back
of his head, Jason said, “And now he’s here…
why
is he here?”

Jake didn’t like the unease that settled
inside him, but all he could do was shrug, and together, he and Jason walked
out toward the approaching horse. Warily, they watched Charles dismount.

Jake heard the screen door swing closed
behind him, but he didn’t turn back; instead he kept his eyes fixed on Charles.

A hollow thunk shifted everyone’s
attention, and Jake turned around to see Zoe standing in the driveway behind
him, a notebook sprawled on the ground at her feet, her eyes wider than he’d
ever seen them and her mouth gaping open. She was silent for a moment, until
she finally blinked and took a reluctant step forward.

“Dad?” The word was barely a whisper.

Jake’s brow furrowed, and when he turned
back toward Charles, he no longer saw
Charles
; a taller man, with a
medium build and graying, light brown hair stood in his place.
Shaking his head, Jake stared at the man who
seemed to have morphed into a completely different person, apparently into Zoe
and Jason’s dead father—Tom? Jake had never seen a picture of him, and the
resemblance to either Zoe or Jason was minimal, but Jake had heard enough about
Tom—both the relationship he’d had with his kids and the fact that he was
supposedly dead—to give him pause. But the way Zoe’s eyes brightened, the way
they filled with a storm of emotions so turbulent that they began to shimmer,
was all the proof he needed that this man was, indeed, Tom Cartwright.

In stunned silence, Jason watched Tom, and
neither he nor his father seemed able to move. Neither of them even seemed able
to speak.

But not Zoe; she moved toward the newcomer,
stopping close enough to reach her hand out and touch his face. “You’re alive.
You’re really standing here,” she said. Her eyes scoured the length of his
body, as if she thought she might be staring at a ghost. “I thought you were
dead. Grams said you were dead…”

“Because that’s what I wanted her to
believe,” Tom said, his calm, smooth voice seeming to fit this version of
himself more than it had fit his portly counterpart.

“Why would you…” She shook her head.
“You’re alive,” she said again, and with a sob, wrapped her arms around him.

Tom embraced his daughter, closing his
eyes and letting her cry on his shoulder.

“You’re alive.” Her sobbed words were
muffled by his well-worn, checkered flannel shirt.

Although Jake wanted to give Zoe privacy
during her reunion with her apparent father, he was too wary of the man’s Ability
to alter perception to leave her alone with him.

Jake heard the screen door open and looked
over his shoulder to see Dani emerge, Annie at her side. Hand in hand, they walked
toward the commotion. Dani’s features were scrunched in confusion.

Until Tom lifted his face away from Zoe’s
hair.

Dani gawked. “Mr. Cartwright?”

“Why?” Zoe asked, pulling away from her
father and wiping the tears from her face. “Why would Grams think you were
dead? Why would you
want
her to think that?”

He gave her an apologetic shake of his
head. “I couldn’t risk Herodson finding out I was alive and using it to somehow
hurt you kids…or your mom. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“But all this time…we thought you were
dead.” Zoe’s features hardened. “You knew about all of this, about mom…”

“Yes, sweetheart, I knew.” A pained
expression softened his features. “I’ve known all along. Not the details,
but…enough. I knew enough.”

Zoe’s eyes narrowed.

Tom looked at Jason, whose expression was
blank, then back at Zoe. “I wanted to tell both of you—so many times—but I
couldn’t.” Gently, he touched Zoe’s temple with his fingertips. “I can see that
you know about the Monitors…and that yours are gone.” He sighed and shook his
head. “Now that you know the danger, I hope you’ll understand.”