They bred farm animals and not surprisingly, deer were plentiful.
Nora always hated shucking corn. When she used to buy corn on the cob for her family, she paid the extra money to get them already shucked. Yet, there she was, sitting with Marilee, shucking away.
Since arriving in town, Nora was given the task of working with food because she didn’t have a set skill.
Marilee flashed a fake smile. “Look how good and fast you do that.”
“Yeah, I’m a champ.” Nora looked across the road to Jason who spoke to a group of three men. “Everyone pitches in, right?”
“That’s right. Especially during the warm weather. As good as we eat now, we have to preserve half.”
“But I never see any of the men doing the preparing?”
“They hunt.”
“I see. What about Jason? He hasn’t done any work yet.”
“He preaches,” Marilee said. “He has an important job.”
“Like once a week.”
Just then Jason walked over.
“Hey,” He greeted, casting a shadow as he stood above them. “Do you need help?”
Just as Nora was about to toss him corn, Marilee interjected.
“No,” Marilee said. “You’ve done enough. Wonderful service today. The sermon was uplifting.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much. Nora, did you like it? You didn’t say.”
“Um… sure.”
Jason cocked his head back. “You didn’t like it.”
“I didn’t say that.” Nora defended. “I just been listening to you steadily for weeks so you have little impact on me.”
“Wow.” Jason widened his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’d feel better if you’d shuck some corn.”
Marilee sung out an, ‘Oh’, as if she were trying to empathize. “Is someone a little sour?”
“No,” Nora said. “Yes. I mean, I have no problem doing my share while we’re here and even if we return….”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“No.” Marilee waved out her hand. “I mean when you return. You can’t leave us for good. We like you.”
“Thanks.”
“And we can get you other stuff to do. Do you hunt?”
“No.”
“Make clothes?”
Nora laughed. “No.”
“Well, what did you do before they stuck you in a block of ice?”
Jason nodded. “Go on, tell her.”
“I was a comedian.”
“A what?”
“Someone who tells jokes and makes people laugh.”
“And they paid you for that?” Marilee asked.
“Yes.”
“Well.” Marilee cleared her throat. “I’m confused. Did you do funny things?”
“Yes and told jokes.”
“Well, heck we can use some laughs around here. Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Marilee said. “But you don’t strike me as a person who makes people laugh. Maybe if I heard one of your jokes.”
Nora thought for a moment. “Okay. Where did the virus start?”
“Oh. Oh, that’s a change of subject,” Marilee said. “I thought you were…”
“No. Listen,” Nora repeated. “Where did the virus start?” she paused. “Germany.”
“Hmm. That makes sense. They say it started overseas,” Marilee said.
“No. It’s a joke. Virus started in… Germany. Germ…” She stared at Marilee who looked lost. “Forget it.”
“Maybe if you tried it on…” Marilee stopped when Jason burst into laughter. “Well, someone thought it was funny.”
“Oh, no, not the joke,” Jason said. “Your reaction was awesome.”
Tilting her head bashfully, Marilee wave out her hand. “Thanks.” Her head immediately sprung up when a single air horn blasted a short honk.
“What the hell?” Jason asked.
Before he could get an answer, Marilee reached deep into the un-shucked corn bin and withdrew a rifle. Everyone scurried about, extinguishing the fire pits, grabbing weapons, and racing into the buildings. Unlike the meek person she presented, Marilee, while backing up, confidently pointed her rifle at the church.
“No time to get you weapons from armory,” she spoke quickly. “Get into the church and wait until the two blasts of the horn for clear.”
Nora murmured out a, “What?”
“Go.”
Jason took her arm and led her quickly to the church. As they entered the doors, the street went from being active to a ghost town. It was a well rehearsed routine the people of Rantoul had probably done many times.
“They have enemies?” Jason locked the door.
“They left that information out,” Nora said.
“We’ve only been here two days. But to arm up like that. They’re afraid of something.”
“What’s out there? We roamed and saw nothing,” Nora said.
“Yeah but you know and I know there are other towns they trade with. Scarce doesn’t mean empty.”
“A couple blasts of the horn and it’s safe, what happens if it’s not?”
Jason closed his lips tight and shook his head in an ‘I haven’t a clue’ manner.
The wait inside the church was short lived, the double blast of the air horn rang out, followed by a male voice yelling. “Hey Preacher. Two of your friends are pulling up in one of them future buggies.”
Nora brightly smiled and looked at Jason. “Two people.”
“Has to be Amy and Malcolm.” Jason unlocked the door. “Let’s go.”
The decision to leave Hunter a couple miles behind was a mutual one. Both John and Meredith were worried that his appearance could cause alarm. Then again, what if the entire town of Rantoul were like the Burkians. Also, Hunter was an asset and they liked him. They didn’t want to take a chance he could be hurt.
At first they thought there was a grand welcoming committee. They could see the people walk out into the street. Then they drew closer and saw they were holding weapons.
“This is odd,” John said. “I say stop now.”
Meredith did so about four blocks from the line of people. “Now what?”
“Wait. If Jason and Nora are in trouble, we’ll know and we back up and get Hunter. Plus, we don’t know if we’re contagious.”
“Jason and Nora are with them. They look healthy.”
“They could have just got here. Let’s wait here.”
“Understood.” Meredith hands gripping the wheel, stared outward.
Nora leaned into Jason. “That’s Meredith and John. Where’s Grant?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they left him behind.”
Marilee asked. “Where were they coming from?”
“East,” answered Nora. “New York.”
Doug, a Rantoul resident, heard this. “Bad things out east. Hope the friend didn’t meet up with an accident.”
Jason shook his head. “I don’t know. I hope not. What are they waiting for?”
“Why don’t you guys go and find out,” Doug suggested.
Thinking it was a good idea, Nora led, she started walking first and Jason caught up. Two blocks from them, John and Meredith stepped from their buggy. Another block, the four of them walked toward each other.
As soon as Nora saw them, she got a sickening feeling in her stomach. John’s face was blue from bruising. Meredith’s as well, plus she had abrasions. “Oh my God, Jason, what happened to them?”
“I don’t know. But I am guessing we can figure out now what happened to Grant.”
Like visiting a friend in the hospital, no matter what John and Meredith looked like, Jason and Nora placed on a smile.
“Grant met with a horrible death,” John said after embracing both Jason and Nora. “The east is a bit different than let’s say Ohio. Once we hit there, it was pretty empty.”