“Yes, I’d like that a lot,” I said with a smile.
“You can meet with her tomorrow. She asked that we send over whomever we thought might fit the bill, and you, young man, seem like the perfect fit.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll do a good job. At least, I’ll try really hard to do a good job.”
Oh God, what if I did a terrible job? What if I dropped a baby?
“We’re confident that you will. Now, will you please send in the next applicant?” She checked the clipboard in her hand. “Brother Cipher.”
I practically ran out of the room, my nerves masked by a shaky grin when I told the other Assholes my news. Cipher pulled me into his arms. “That’s fantastic news, Kitten. Marion’s great. You’ll like her. Congratulations.”
“We still have to see if she likes me.”
“She’s going to love you.”
Cipher was the last of us to go in. He had to remove his machete from the holster at his back in order to sit, which he then laid across his lap. I could only see the back of his head and shoulders from where I watched through the window, but he looked tense. The interview was brief, a few minutes at most, before he returned to where we were waiting.
“What’d you get?” I asked, searching his face for a clue as to whether he was happy about it or not.
Frowning, he looked more bewildered than upset. “They said Brother Larry would handle my placement. I have a meeting with him later today. Why would he single me out like that?”
“Because you’re special? Maybe he wants to reward you with a really good job,” I said.
“Or he wants to keep a close eye on me,” Cipher said with a scowl.
“Then you can keep a close eye on each other.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
His gaze was distant, unfocused, and I knew he was planning his next moves. When it came to Brother Larry, I was hoping for the best, but I trusted Cipher’s instincts. If Cipher decided we needed to leave, I would go with him. It wasn’t only because I loved him, but that was part of it.
Wherever he went, I would follow.
THREE
CIPHER
I followedthe sounds of hammering that echoed through the towering pines in my hunt for Brother Larry. It was the start of autumn. Leaves would be changing colors soon, then falling. The sluggish humidity would give way to brisker temperatures, and the light would fall differently too, sharper in the morning only to bleed out by late afternoon as winter approached.
A year ago it had been just the three of us–Artemis, Gizmo, and I–camped out in a dingy one-room hostel in D.C., trying to fend for ourselves and plan for a future that didn’t involve being eaten by Rabids or burned alive by our own government. And now, we’d made it to the once-fabled Promised Land. Was it fate or by accident that had brought our crew together and delivered us here? Despite the pessimist in me that always prepared for the worst, I wanted to believe we would be okay. To have faith.
The noises grew louder, and I found Larry and his crew building what appeared to be a large deck in a clearing surrounded by old growth trees. Still within the gates, the forested area reminded me of the woods we’d traveled to get here. They’d finished the foundation already and were now in the process of laying the decking. A circular saw gave a high-pitched whine as it sliced through a plank of wood while the humming of generators provided a steady backdrop to the din of progress. The scents of sawdust and fresh pine were sharp in the air.
“Brother Cipher,” Larry called as I approached. Bent over a plank with a nail between his teeth, he raised one liver-spotted hand to greet me. I’d never get used to addressing others as Brother or Sister, the latter especially because I’d had a sister, one who was irreplaceable, and to call someone that who was practically a stranger that felt like disrespecting her memory.
But if I was going to fit in, I’d better start making the effort.
“Brother Larry,” I said with a slight nod. “What’s going on here?”
“We’re building an outdoor stage. Time for a little culture here in Promised Land. Seems I am now a patron of the arts.” He spread his arms like a showman. He must have to act as a ringleader at times. Running a town, even one this size, was a remarkable feat.
“You wanted to see me?” I said.
“Not one for small talk are you?” he asked with a joker’s grin.
“Not usually, no.”
“Well, all right, let’s get a drink and find a spot in the shade away from all this hollering and banging where we can discuss a few matters.”
