Chapter 2: The Broken Road
Bass wakes up wrapped in a tangle of Charlie. Once his eyes adjust to the darkness, he lifts his hand to stroke her cheek, unable to resist tracing her jaw like he had just days before.
His touch causes her to burrow even further into his arms, mumbling Miles' name in her sleep. Holding his breath, Bass waits to see if she'll say anything else.
She must sense that something's off because her fist tightens on his shirt as her lashes flutter open.
"What's wrong?" She whispers, searching his eyes.
"You were talking in your sleep."
Her cheeks flame as she lets go of his shirt, untangling her limbs from his. "Sorry."
"It's alright. We can get an early start this way," he says, holding out his hand as he stands.
Charlie grabs hold, letting him pull her up against him. Biting her lip as his nose brushes her cheek.
"Let me show you something," Bass says, letting go of her abruptly, the thought of soothing that plump lip with his tongue causing his cock to twitch.
"Uh, okay, sure," she says, blinking rapidly at the sudden loss.
She watches as he pokes around in the back of the wagon for a few moments before pulling out a crossbow with a flourish.
Taking it from him, she turns it in her hands, testing its weight as she looks it over, "It's a crossbow, but it's not my crossbow."
"Actually, it is."
"I don't understand?"
"I don't know what happened to your original crossbow but this is the one you've been using for a year or so now. Wanna see if you can hunt us up some breakfast?" he asks, tilting his head towards the barn doors.
Charlie nods eagerly. "Yes, please."
"Don't go far and don't be long. You can always try again tonight."
"Got it," she calls out over her shoulder, practically skipping out of the barn.
She returns triumphant, holding up two plump hares for him to inspect.
"Very nice, Charlotte," he compliments her, "Think they can wait till lunch? I'd like to hit the road and put some miles under our belts."
Charlie shrugged, "Don't see why not. I already field-dressed them. Is there some cloth or something to wrap them in?"
Bass looked around the wagon for a moment before handing her an empty burlap sack.
Making his way to the wagon bench, he watched as she dropped the rabbits into the bag before tying it neatly to the tailgate.
Climbing up after her, he makes sure she's settled before flicking the reins, setting the horses into motion.
They spend the morning in silence, both lost in their own thoughts and it's lunchtime when he finds himself back on that path to hell that he started so long ago.
"You said we've only been married a little while?" Charlie asks as she expertly skins the hides from the rabbits.
"Yeah, just a few weeks," he answers with a glance in her direction.
"How long have we known each other?"
"We met for the first time about two and half years ago." he tells her, suddenly back in that power plant, watching as she courageously stood up to Strausser and his gun, "I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that my life would never be the same."
"That good of an impression, huh?" she asks with a crooked, toothy smile, moving on to the second rabbit.
"You were the most magnificent thing I'd seen in a long time," he answers softly, smiling at her when she looks up.
That was one thing he'd never have to lie about.
Her breath catches in her throat, when he moves to push a strand of hair away from her face.
"To this day, I've never met anyone more beautiful, fearless, or selfless than you, Charlotte." Leaning forward, he gently kisses the corner of her mouth before taking the skinned hares from her.
"What did I do that made such a big impression?" she manages to ask as she cleans the blood off her hands and joins him by the fire.
Bass looks over at her and then back at the fire. "Your brother was kidnapped by the Militia. We met when you were attempting to rescue him."
"Attempting? I take it I failed?"
"No, not at all. You managed to get caught, but at the end of the day you got him out."
"You were there?"
"Yes, for some of it."
"Why do I have the feeling you're not going to tell me?"
Bass' only reply is a raised eyebrow as he stakes the rabbits over the fire.
"Fine," she sighs, frustrated at her lack of memories. "Then let's talk about you."
Bass eyes her warily. "What about me?
"Where were you born?"
"Indiana."
"I was born in Chicago, but I don't remember much about it. Do you have a family?"
"You're my family," he answers, hoping to distract her, but Charlie with a bone is not to be denied.
She smiles at him sweetly, all lips and teeth and lowered lashes and it steals his breath.
"What about parents, siblings...children? she questions, suddenly a bit unsure of herself.
Bass frowns for a moment, reminding himself that she's not asking him these things to hurt him. As far as anyone, including herself, knows they're married. These are things she should know.
"My parents and sisters died in a car accident before the blackout and I have a grown son from a previous relationship. A few years after the blackout, I was married to a woman who died in childbirth.
"Oh, Bass, I'm so sorry," Charlie says, her eyes brimming full of sympathy for him.
He reaches out to squeeze her hand, "It was a long time ago."
Before the blackout, San Angelo, Texas had been a military town and is one of the larger walled cities Bass has seen post blackout. They travel around it, following the map that Gene gave him.
They rattle down the cracked asphalt road until they find a dilapidated mailbox, leaning sadly on it's post, the paint, weathered and faded. The house isn't visible from the road, so turning down the drive, they follow it around a bend and over a slight hill which reveals a small, two-story cabin nestled in a copse of trees at the end of the drive. Charlie gives a sigh of relief they've finally made it as Bass pulls the wagon to a stop near the front door.
"We'll need to go into town to find the caretaker," Bass comments as they climb down from the wagon causing Charlie to frown.
"Do you think we could leave the wagon here?" She asks looking around. "It seems safe enough and honestly, I don't think my ass can take another minute of riding on that bench seat."
Bass grins as he tilts his head to ogle the body part in question, causing Charlie to snort and smack his arm.
"C'mon, I wanna sleep inside tonight," she says as she begins to unhook one of the horses from the wagon.
With a stupid grin, he makes his way to the other side and starts to help.
He knows from the reflection of glass that bounces their way, several people are watching their approach.
There's a lone man waiting outside the gates to meet them. "State your business!"
"Name's Bass Ross. This is my wife, Charlotte. She's the great-granddaughter of Doc Harris. Got a letter here from her Grandpa, Doc Porter of Willoughby, along with the deed to the old Harris place out by the lake. He said we're to ask for..." with a sigh of frustration, Bass hands the letter over to Charlie who scans it, focusing on the name.
"Ronnie Hutchins." Charlie says aloud, handing the letter back to Bass.
"Lost my damn readers a ways back," Bass grips as he hands the documents over to the man. "I was hoping we might be able to pick up some supplies while we were in town?"
The man looks over the letter and deed, handing them back to Bass with a nod, before shouting up at the men above, making a circular motion with his hand.
Charlie watches as the gates guarding the town open enough for them to enter single file and then close again, another man waiting on the other side for them.
"How can we help you folks?" he asks, not much friendlier than the first man.
"We're looking for Ronnie Hutchins and were hoping to spend a few diamonds in your general store.
"General store's three blocks down. I'll send someone to fetch Ronnie and have him meet you there."
"Appreciate it,"' Bass replies as he clicks to his horse to get it moving again, making sure that Charlie's right beside him.
Inside the General Store, they visit with the owner's wife as they gather up the staples they'll need when the small bell over the door tinkles causing both Bass and Charlie to turn.
"I don't believe it!" An older man booms picking Charlie up and swinging her around. "You look just like your Grandma Charlotte!" he exclaims, setting her back on her feet. "I was awfully sorry to hear about her passing," he continues sticking out his hand to Bass. "Ron Hutchins. Grew up with Charlotte Harris and kept an eye on her folks after she married Gene and moved away. I just couldn't believe it when they told me Charlotte's granddaughter was in town.
"Bass Ross," Bass said, shaking his hand. "Charlotte's been ill and Gene thought that perhaps a stay in the cabin might be just the thing," he explained, holding out his stack of papers for a third time as he pulled Charlie up against him, his patience with this town rapidly dwindling.
"Oh, there's no need for those. Why don't you folks finish up here while I head back to my place and fetch those keys. If we both hurry, you'll be home before dark, " he whispers with a wink at Charlie who smiles back at the friendly man.
They've just finished strapping down their supplies when Ronnie walks around the corner whistling.
"Here we are!" he calls out dangling a key ring from his finger. "Cabin's been locked up tighter than a drum since Ms. Harris passed on. I reckon it'll be dusty, but'll be just perfect for the two of you."
"Thank you so much," Charlie said, taking the keys that he offered, handing them to Bass. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's get you home," Bass answered, turning to Ronnie. "It was a long trip."
"I imagine so," Ronnie said shaking Bass' hand. "I'll let the boys at the gate know you're welcome here anytime."
"Thanks, we'd appreciate that. I'm sure we'll see you again real soon." Bass replied, climbing up on his horse, Charlie next to him as they headed for the gates.
"Are all towns like that?" Charlie asked once they were alone.
"Until they get to know us, we're strangers. They'll always be a bit wary, but it helps that one of their own is so accepting. That'll go a long way. In the meantime, we just need to keep our guard up.
Opening the front door to the cabin, as Charlie stood just behind him holding the screen door open, Bass was assaulted by stale air and dust.
"Ronnie wasn't joking about it being shut up. We need to open the windows and get some fresh air in here," Charlie commented as she stepped around him.
They walked through the house together, the ground floor one large space that combined living, dining, kitchen, and a washroom. Walking to the sink, Bass primed the pump and pulled on the lever. After four or five pumps, water came rushing out, causing Charlie to gasp in delight.
She gazed up at Bass with a smile, "We didn't have indoor plumbing in Wisconsin."
Bass chuckled, "Don't get too excited. I saw an outhouse out back."
Charlie shrugged good-naturedly. "It's an even trade."
Following her up the stairs, Bass couldn't help but watch the sway of her ass, laying a hand on her hip when they reached the top. She smiled up at him, wrapping her fingers through his as she led them on a tour. Two bedrooms and a full bath. He'd have to inspect the plumbing, but they were almost sure to have a septic.
Charlie was in the largest bedroom opening the windows when Bass lay down on the mattress with a sigh.
"Has it been a while?" she asked, causing Bass to gawk at her, his face resembling a spooked deer.
"A while?" he parroted.
"Since we slept on a bed?"
"Oh," he chuckled telling his body to settle down. "Lets just say my back feels about the same way your ass does."
Charlie laughed as she reached out to stroke his cheek. "Poor baby."
Catching her hand in his, Bass smiled awkwardly, kissing her palm before letting it go and sitting up. "We should probably unpack and figure out where to keep the horses," he said rising to his feet.
Charlie frowned at her husband's jerky movements, suddenly wondering just what kind of marriage they actually have.
She knows they enjoy spending time together and the way they work together is uncanny, but he isn't overly affectionate with her. Only at night does he seem to drop his defenses and hold her close, but yet hasn't done anything more than kiss her.
She suddenly finds herself staring at his crotch, wondering if perhaps he's not able to perform sexually anymore. She had over-heard Maggie and her dad talking about one of the men in their village with that problem and then that militia soldier a few years ago that had attempted to rape one of the other girls, but ended up nearly beating her to death because he wasn't able to "get it up," according to Maggie.
Bass stands near the door, watching as Charlie stares intently at his crotch making him want to cover it with his hands, but he manages to refrain.
"Charlie?"
She blinks in surprise at the sound of his voice and meets his eyes with a smile, her cheeks the color of crisp apples. "Hmm?"
"What were you just thinking about?" he asks with a tilt of his head.
"I was just wondering how long it would take to clean this place up." She answers patting the bed causing dust to billow up.
"Not long, now that we're here. Let's get everything outside taken care of and we'll talk about it over dinner."
Avoiding his gaze, Charlie brushes past him, her fingers trailing against his on the way out.
Putting his hands on his hips, Bass watches her go with narrowed eyes.
They investigate the detached garage that's out back and away from the house, a broken-down pickup taking up one side. "This will work," Bass says, looking around. "I don't see us getting any more than the two horses."
They unload the wagon, dumping everything in the middle of the living room and hook the horses up just enough to pull the wagon out beside the garage. Storing the tack in the back of the pickup, they tie the horses up outside with access to the wild growing grasses.
Back inside, Charlie finds their bag of food while Bass starts a fire in the cook stove. "I'll need to clean out the stovepipe tomorrow, but as long as it doesn't smoke us out tonight, we can have something beside jerky and fruit."
"That'll be a nice change," Charlie says tiredly as she watches him hunt for various pots and pans giving them a good rinse in the sink. Rice going into one and beans into the other. "Rice and beans. How exciting," she teases.
Bass points a finger at her, scolding her silently as he goes about his work.
Charlie smirks, walking back out into the main part of the room to start sorting through their supplies. Things for the kitchen in one pile, women's clothing in another, men's clothes...Charlie grabs the shirt lying on top and picks it up. Her eyes close as she brings it to her nose, inhaling the combined scents of fire, tobacco, sweat, and alcohol. Her mind conjuring up a tall man, his face hidden in the shadows.
"Charlotte," Bass says quietly from right beside her.
"This isn't your shirt," she breathes, slowly turning her head to look at him. .
Taking it from her gently, he asks, "What makes you say that?"
She looks a bit dazed when she answers, "It doesn't smell like you."
Laying the shirt back over the bag, Bass takes her by the hand. "This can wait till later, come help me with dinner."
As he leads her into the kitchen, Charlie glances back at the shirt, wondering who it belongs to and why she suddenly feels so bereft.
