Chapter 8: The Coming Dangers
When the door shut behind my men and Mr. Schmitt of Doyle's detachment, I was left alone with the Joshua who, despite his readiness to answer my question, spoke first;
"How's your injury?"
I asked how he knew about the wound in my abdomen I suffered from but he merely said he heard about it from some of his other visitors when he mentioned which man of the guard had brought him in that first night. Almost everyone in town knew what happened to me and my detachment the day of my most recent wound, but knew how the topic was one to be avoided because of the tragedy of that day. Still, his question brought the injury to mind once more and I realized I hadn't thought about it in days.
Since the night I had brought him to the Temple, the injury was gone from my mind. It was the afternoon that I found myself in Dr. Franklin's little clinic when I had that second stimpack applied and by the end of the night, even that tender scar was gone from my person, giving me no more reason to think about it. Just as Dr. Franklin and the Constable predicted, that second stimpack did the trick and there was no sign that I had ever been shot there over a month and a half ago. Considering the question, I felt my hand drift to the site of the injury and just as expected, the spot wasn't even tender.
The site was completely healed, and I found myself saying, "It's all better now," as I thought about all the treatments Mr. Graham had undergone to seemingly little avail.
He stared at me expectingly as I mentally compared the state he was in when I dragged him in from the wastes versus the state of his current self. From everything I already said, he was clearly in a lot of pain with every movement he made, and even though the sporadic bursting of blisters was new, he'd evidently had his ability to speak and move around at least somewhat restored. Noticing he was still looking at me expectingly, he didn't have to say it for me to finally address him. However, I recalled that he asked me if "I" had any questions for him. I had quite a few questions for him actually, but for the moment I couldn't think of any of them. The departure of the others left me with the burned man, and all at once, the full clarity of the moment returned to me and I told him directly with the memory of the Constable and Bishop;
"I will actually have to skip my questions for you now, Mr. Graham…"
He saw that there was something in my mind, but only nodded his head and replied, "There will be plenty of time for questions, as I hope that you and I get to spend more time with one another in the coming future. Now, you said you had something to ask on behalf of the Constable and Bishop?"
Perhaps he knew what question I was to ask on part of my superiors, but hearing him make the request put me in a strange mood as I realized for the first time since entering this shack that I too was afraid to hear the answer. Once more, he saw this hesitation on my face and there I looked deeper into his eyes before saying directly;
"I'm sure it's no surprise, but with your arrival here, the Constable, as well as the Bishop, need to know…" I had to pause, and before I could continue, I had to swallow. It might have been perceived as a sign of nervousness, and perhaps I was, but I remained resolute in my composure as my mind subdued the thoughts of all this man had been through, what he had done, and who he had wronged to wind up the way he was in the current day;
"… We need to know: Is there anyone who will be coming for you?"
Without breaking eye contact, a brief silence ensued, and I was able to see his internal contemplation before he said, "Yes…" and let the word linger as my heart stopped for a moment.
Just as I, we, and everyone in New Canaan feared. Just as I thought before I even confirmed the identity of that burned man in Dr. Franklin's clinic, the worst was true. He said it himself that his sins were going to be coming for him and likely everyone who sheltered him. I thought back to what he said to Duncan about his being forgiven and how that didn't mean he was exempt from the consequences all he'd done to need that forgiveness. Then the lone word ran through my head again and I felt that "something else" still hanging in the air during the silence.
Without anymore thought, I asked, "How do you know that? Did anyone see you climb out of that canyon?"
He shifted in his place and broke our gaze to hang his head, "I don't remember much from that day I woke up, or even the trek here. I don't know who would have seen me from the distance or may have even figured who I was. But I was in no condition to make full sense of my surroundings even up to the moment I collapsed near your camp that night… Were there people and creatures who saw me over those three months?" He asked and then immediately answered, "without doubt. Yet still, all living creatures appeared to avoid me like some spirit the whole way…"
He paused and I began to think about the stories I heard from Duncan and Carl that afternoon before his arrival. Duncan had only heard about the battle at the Dam, and Carl heard that part as well. I reflected on part two of Carl's little tale he heard, about how Joshua's execution took place a little over 3 months ago, only a few months after news of the battle. I decided I would keep an ear to the ground in the coming weeks about stories of a lone man, ghost, or what have you walking the wastes, figuring that Graham's journey simply hadn't had time to spread amongst the tribals who may have seen him and paired the sight with the other stories of him down south. At the same time, I thought of his simple answer about those who would come for him, and I had to revert back, making his eyes return to mine as I asked;
"So what makes you believe people will be coming for you if you say nobody has seen you survive?"
"Nobody that I could perceive," stated Graham before meeting my eyes with a new intensity, "Although Caesar- or Edward has never been one to investigate tribal tall tales that reach Legion borders, when stories begin to circulate that I survived, he will make exception. I am no ordinary case… He will make sure the work he started at the Grand Canyon is done, even if he has to send his forces this way to confirm a lone rumor…"
My blood began to freeze in my veins as his words sunk in, and it suddenly hit me that I admired his admission of what he believed to be true. I hadn't thought that far ahead but in hindsight, part of me believed he would try to water down the truth of what may be coming for him. Then he added shortly;
"… None of that is even to mention people like NCR rangers, spies, refugees from Legion raids, or even wasters looking to get famous by pulling a gun on Caesar's former Legate."
At that, he was done, and part of me wanted to shout somewhere in the middle for him to stop being so honest. As lost as I had been in the past 40 minutes between listening to Ms. Neil, and the way in which he answered my guardsmen's question, the present reality struck me instantly. As my mind considered what exactly I would say to the Constable or Bishop, I asked him after the pause;
"Does this change your plans of staying here with us?"
I was thinking about my family and the newly announced dangers possibly heading this way as soon as the continuation of his legend began to spread, and I again was brought back when he said directly,
"You tell me, Paul. As much as I would like to, as I've said in our previous discussion with your men, I will understand if the Bishop needs to turn me away for the sake of the community-"
Reflexively, his words made me chuckle, and before I could think as to why, I said, "You must not know Bishop Mordecai."
I could see the part of his head where his eyebrows used to be rise even beneath the bandages. I thought about the coming dangers and didn't want to give the impression that Mordecai was reckless with community safety, because he wasn't, but I satisfied Graham's curiosity at my outburst by explaining softly,
"Mordecai wouldn't turn you away, or anyone who's on the run, even if there was an army at your heels…" My explanation again made it sound like Mordecai was reckless to anyone who didn't understand the reason for such a hypothetical event, but Graham saw the meaning beneath the words and nodded: Mordecai loved the persecuted so much that he wasn't able to turn away a person in need.
I saw the message was understood as intended in Joshua's face and then he asked me what was not expected, "Are you alright with my staying?"
My thoughts had returned to the coming dangers. Weighing their likelihood and scale would be. "Am I alright with his staying?" I asked myself. I had no idea as I reflected on what I had told him about Mordecai, "… even if there was an army at your heels." Would there be an army coming for him when the stories began to circulate? Again I simply didn't know. If his suggestions about who would come for him were founded on supreme truth or paranoia, I didn't know. All I could think about was my family, my friends, and the community I loved and protected. Then, the present returned once more:
There were no new stories about a man walking north from the Grand Canyon. There were no new speculations about such a person being the former Legate who survived his execution at the hands of that wicked nation in the far south. For the time being, the present was all there was and it had returned to me for the final time in the chaos brought about by this man's return home. I believe I ended up speaking for myself, the Bishop, the Constable, the entire Guard, and whole community of New Canaan when I said to him plainly;
"Just rest up for now. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, you're home now."
He thanked me and I gave him my farewell as I stood with a mind full of possibilities that the future entailed. Before I could even get out the door, I had already concluded that the future was too murky to predict, and that it was best to leave it in His hands for the time being.
Exiting the shack and into the blinding light of the midday, I walked through the outside shanties towards the gate, knowing that all I could do was my present duties. For now, all the mysteries and intrigue brought about by Joshua's past, his life, and his legend, were put on hold. The world was still playing out before my eyes, and I could no longer be caught in so much thought and recollection while I had a large part to play in the here and now. The Lord knew what was on the road ahead and approaching the gates, I did so with the firm reminder to do so with Him in my heart while my responsibilities toward His children and my returned brother remained.
Later that Day
After I left Joshua's temporary residence outside the walls of New Canaan, I headed back inside and almost immediately found the Constable roaming the streets between the tower crews. Upon finding him, I reported what Joshua had told me, and before he could breathe a word in response, I asked if I should find the Bishop as well. All he did was nod his head solemnly at the news of what was expected. He honestly took the news well, and although part of me thought it would cause him to immediately begin rounding up the defenses, he took a long moment of contemplation on one part of the news in particular. Hearing that people would most certainly be coming for him was not good to hear, but the fact remained that there weren't any stories or tales coming in from the wasteland regarding Joshua's survival, and because of that, we were indeed safe, at least for the time being. All he told me was that he would find the Bishop and update him on what I had heard, and told me to finish off the rest of the shift with my men at the gate station.
Going back outside the walls, I entered the little concrete and sandbag barricade to find my men all there. Nathan and John had returned from their patrol of the market and I spent the rest of the afternoon with them, Carl, and William Ramos. Carl and William asked what I was up to and then joined Nathan and John in an interrogation of me, clearly indicating that Carl and Ramos were filled in on what I've been up to since going our separate ways. The rest of the afternoon passed slowly and even though I was vague or tight lipped about what I discussed with Graham after John and Nathan's departure, the four of them continued to speculate and discuss the man in their hushed voices as the sun got lower and lower in the west.
Not long before the Night Guardsmen came to relieve us, I joined in the discussion between Ramos and Nathan after they returned from another walk about the market. The market crowds began to thin as the sun set and the two were continuing a chat from earlier about what the Burned Legate would do when he finished healing up. Breaking from my thoughts about what the next day would have in store, an idea from earlier that afternoon returned to me and I asked;
"Hear any new stories about our most recent arrival out there?"
The four of them looked at me, not surprised or anything, but just out of interest. Nathan spoke first saying that he heard a few of the traders near the central crossroads talking about the battle down south. I asked if there was anything in addition to that without sounding like I was trying to hide anything and all they said was "No." Nathan and Ramos went on a little more, then getting diverted to other topics of discussion but leaving me with the satisfactory answer. I then glanced towards the eastern wall, following the row of shanties built against it, past the dirt paths, and crowds going this way and that as the people went to the outside inns or rented shacks for the evening. As I looked that way, my men around me each got lost in their own little conversations and I watched the gates lower again to release the small crowd of New Canaanite landlords. Each one carrying a long satchel full of keys and accompanied by a boy of the town with an advertisement sign, ready to rent out temporary lodgings to the masses of travelers as the sky got darker.
All was calm, all was still right. It was as if I could hear each of the travelers, tribals, and wasters going about their business, hearing their conversations. Then, with one last look beyond western path along the wall, I could hear those conversations in depth and I knew that not one of them knew how only a few doors down was the subject of new stories, new legends, and stories that would most certainly lead enemies to our gates. I watched the street lighters emerge from some of the inns and public houses with jars of oil, lighters, and wicks in hand to begin their duty of lighting the market grounds, and then the Night Guard arrived.
When the Night Guard arrived to replace us at our gate station, me and the men exchanged pleasantries but before we could leave our post and return home, Constable Hanshaw approached me again. Both the men of the Night Guard and my own stopped what they were doing upon seeing the Constable, and greeted him in the formal way he so despised. The burly man made a few jokes to give the Night Guard something to smile about during their shift and then turned back to me saying aloud for my men to hear;
"Mr. Young, I wanted to let you know that I have passed word to the Bishop about our discussion from earlier and-"
He saw the question "What did he say?" on the tip of my tongue but wouldn't let me get it out as he continued, "You'll be delighted to know that nothing has changed for the present time, although we will urge you to keep your ears to the ground and to be extra alert to anything out of the ordinary for the next few weeks…"
That was good to hear. Perhaps there were still reasons to fear the arrival of those hunting for our new fugitive, but for now, it was good to hear that even the spiritual leaders of our home didn't feel the need to allow any panic or unnecessary preparations that would possibly conflict with the impression that nothing unusual has happened within New Canaan recently. The Constable turned from me to the faces of the guardsmen beside me and then addressed me aloud for the rest of them;
"… Don't look so confused lads, orders will be passed first thing in the morning clarifying a new update to market procedure…" Then turning back to me, he resumed, "In the meantime, you'll also be happy to hear that I'm giving the go ahead for you and two of your men to join Doyle and his scouts on that little investigation we discussed in the meeting earlier today. With that, I'm having you and Doyle set out Thursday instead of Friday, so pick two of your men to join you and I give you and your selections the whole day tomorrow to get prepared. You will set out first thing Friday morning, so meet up with Doyle at some point and coordinate with him and…" Addressing all of us, he concluded, "… You all have a great night."
The Constable left us with a salute as he began walking towards the Trinity Inn on the southeast corner of the central crossroads, and all of us including the Night Guardsmen gave the father of the guard a friendly "So long." As soon as the Constable left, the men began badgering me to pick them for this expedition with Doyle and I ignored them just to amuse myself with their pleads as we congregated with the other guardsmen of the day shift outside the gate. It wasn't long before all the other teams and their lieutenants were in place, chatting amongst themselves or greeting their comrades, and waiting for the gates to allow us inside. None of the greetings from their friends could distract them from continuing to pester me, and just before the gates began to lower, I said my answer. Even though I made it a point not to think about it and just answer at first thought, I knew I wouldn't choose John since I needed him to take my place during my absence. And so, I said,
"Nathan and Ramos." Immediately, Nathan and Ramos high fived and began rubbing it in to John and Carl. Even though John was disappointed, it showed on his face that he expected as much while Carl took the moment to kick some dirt and say how he never gets selected for anything. I consoled Carl by saying that I would choose him next time. That made Carl feel a bit better, then I told Nathan and Ramos to be at my home first thing in the morning before muster and that we would walk to the guard barracks tomorrow. I thought it might be easier to meet them at the barracks since the two were single men who lived there, but neither of them protested. The gate landed on the ground with a dull thud, and the whole crowd of day shift guards entered the town going their separate ways.
I walked with a few of the other officers who lived on the west side of town like me while the majority of the guards went towards the guard barracks on the east end. I talked with a few of the guards about the meeting we attended earlier that day between the leadership of the Guard and Spiritual leadership. Most of them were just speculating about how often those meetings would be, then got to talking about some event or another that happened during the shift. None of them asked why I was held back at the end of the meeting, but that wasn't surprising since the Lieutenants of the guard were the quickest to leave the room after dismissal.
In the end, the small huddle of Lieutenants I walked with dispersed to go to their own homes and soon enough I was alone and opening the small fence to our yard. The town's street lighters were still working on the west side of town, but the smallest rays of sunlight still peeked over the western mountains, showing me my family sitting on the front porch waiting for me to come home, just as I've seen countless other evenings after a shift.
At the sound of the gate, Joseph stopped the game he was playing in the dirt with the neighbor kids and shouted "Dad's home!" as usual before throwing himself around my leg to prevent me going further. Beneath the lantern light of the porch, I saw Dani rise from that wicker couch, Hannah waved subtly from her spot beside Dani, and Michelle pushed herself off the wall to approach me. I inched forward, and with one motion, Michelle cast Joseph away from my leg and threw her arms around me saying;
"I heard that the Bishop himself is donating to my mission fund. Whatever you did… thank you so much dad."
I embraced my eldest daughter, remembering what the Bishop told me earlier in that meeting, and wondering myself what I had done to warrant that kind of generosity from the Bishop as I looked over her shoulder at Dani whose face looked at me lovingly from the glow of the lantern light. I told her to make sure she thanked the Bishop if she ever meets him, and she released her embrace to sit down with Joseph and the other children in our yard like the loving mother she already was in spirit.
Approaching the porch, I embraced my wife and rubbed Hannah's head while Dani too thanked me for whatever I did. Dani clung to my side and followed me into the house saying there was dinner for me on the table, and that it was time to rest for the remainder of the evening. As I ate, I thought about the day, remembering that meeting, and for whatever reason, my mind skipped over the talk I had with the Burned Man. Mr. Graham wasn't mentioned one time throughout the evening. Joseph had seemed to forget the witnessing role he played in Graham's return to Christ, and even though Michelle, Hannah, and Dani, had asked me many questions about him since that night at the Temple, all of their questions about him were gone, and I couldn't help but notice that fact long after the dinner. Hannah eventually came in, and so did Michelle and Joseph. Joseph busied himself in the living room while Hannah and Michelle joined Dani and I at the table. Michelle went on questioning me what I did to garner such high praise and rewards from the Bishop and I guessed right alongside her as me and my family got lost in conversation about the day and coming days.
I passed the evening with my family and after around two and a half hours since stepping through that door, I kissed my kids goodnight and went to bed with my wife saying that I had to get up early. My kids knew that I had to get up early for my shift with the guard, and telling them I had to get up early left me wondering why I even said that in the first place. I wondered why I said that too as I walked down the little hall to our bedroom, and as soon as the door shut, I remembered: Tomorrow was not any ordinary day. Tomorrow I was to get ready for an expedition into the wastes again.
I told my wife this fact when the door was closed and she looked at me worriedly. Remembering the state I arrived in after my last expedition into the wastes, Dani almost cried. I couldn't believe it had taken me over two hours to bring that up, but it was a good thing though since I only really talked about things like that with my wife. For their own concern, I usually left my children in the dark whenever I went on a scout or expedition.
It was hard to see the painful memories resurface in the mind of my wife. She heard all about Evan Buller and the others I lost on that ill-fated expedition over a month and a half prior. She asked if I was even able to do it since I was still suffering that injury only a few days ago. I explained that I was all healed up and even the scar was gone. I even went as far as showing her my exposed abdomen as proof, but that led to further questions about why the Constable chose me instead of someone else. All I could say to that, after remembering what I could of the leadership meeting, was that I worked best with Doyle and his scouts. That was true, but then she asked if this expedition had to do with Joshua or "Mr. Graham." To that, all I could say again was what I knew to be true: I highly doubt it.
As I explained more about the expedition, what little there was to explain, my wife grew calmer. I recalled the meeting in detail, telling her that Doyle and a some of his scouts were going to lead me and two of my guys out to some sort of "idol" or 'totem" they heard about from some traders. It wasn't often that I was pulled to investigate such seemingly minescule items in the borders of our territory, but she asked why I was needed in the first place for a thing like that.
I remembered only one other scout I had under a similar pretext where I was led out to the wastes to investigate a totem to the southwest. On that occasion, we only found the totem of scrap metal and car parts to be nothing more than a new territorial claim from one of the indifferent tribes to the south. I think they were really a small raider gang calling themselves something like "The Wreck Riders" or something. When they saw our team approach armed to the teeth and asking friendly questions, they said that they'd move further south and that was that. Although I did remember on the trek back, hearing a few of the scouts under Lt. Herbein say how they'd come across other totems or idols on our borders that served as messages. One of the guys, Mr. Bell if I remember correctly, said that one totem he found directed them to a camp where they were invited to talk with the chieftain only to be told that if they ever approach their camp again they would be killed. Mr. Bell said that they were only spared that day because the team he was on was so well armed. Other scouts recalled similar stories or verified the spoken ones, some even said how there were gifts left at some while others served as burial sites. All of this led to the conclusion: Investigations of totems or idols within our territory could mean almost anything.
In the end, I left out the possibility of hostile or dangerous situations when discussing the matter with my wife. After telling her the truth in that I simply didn't know what the totem would mean, I eased her worries a bit more by telling her how Doyle said the trip wouldn't last more than two days. Figuring it would take one day to get there and one day to get back, it didn't even occur to me that I might be gone longer than that if we had to follow any paths along our investigation. I wished there was more to say to her, but after telling her that we were just going to check it out and reminding her that the Constable would send backup if we weren't home at a prescribed time, her nerves were settled.
Wiping what was left of her tears, she knew I was not any man to lie about anything, and that if I was comfortable enough to go, it would all go fine. Luckily for the both of us, she'd forgotten about how sure I was at the time of Evan Buller's fatal expedition. Maybe she did remember and just didn't bring it up, or maybe she truly didn't consider that. However, she kissed me good night, and embraced me as she fell asleep. It wasn't long before I too fell asleep, but with my mind focused on tomorrow morning, I went to sleep with a full return to the present after such a chaotic few days. Although, as good as it was to be back in the arms of my wife, under the same roof as my children, and no longer plagued by the mental storm that came with Joshua's arrival, something still hovered in the back of my mind:
"… We need to know: Is there anyone who will be coming for you?" and that single word answer that reminded me of all I had to do in the current and coming days: "Yes."
Author's Note: Pardons for the late posting. I'm usually very consistent with my posting but my life has been exceptionally busy as of late and it has been hard to find the time and energy to post these days. I want to make sure the chapters I do post are of quality and so I don't want to rush anything, especially given the personal and religious parts of this story. The last thing I want is to misrepresent what I want to show with this fic, so given that and my busy schedule, my updates to this fic will be (if not already) somewhat irregular with what some of you have come to expect from me and how I've handled some of my previous works. That said, I hope you all have enjoyed so far and please feel more than free to leave some feedback if anything in particular strikes your attention. The feedback Definitely helps with my motivation to get to work even in my scarce free time! Thanks for being wonderful, my fantastic readers!