The Haze [Watty's Shortlist 2021]

The Haze (Chapter 10)

Chapter Ten

Sister Sue's was situated in the catholic church down on Main Street. Sister Sue was in fact, not a sister, but she had taken to the title well. She was in charge of this particular haven and we had shared a few laughs together over the years. She tried to keep a positive attitude about the predicament we were all in and had quite the band of misfits living in her church. She also welcomed in most travelers that came through needing shelter. I was so thankful when I saw the steeple above the other buildings. The sun was beginning to set and I knew I would never make it back to the Bubble before dark. Navigating in the dark was bad enough, but since my flashlight had just taken a dive into the pool, it would be nearly impossible to make it alive. By this point my clothes were still wet, but no longer dripping. I was beginning to shiver due to the light breeze making its way through the valley. My hunger pains had gone from gnawing to a dull ache by this point. I made my way to the side door and knocked three times for entry. I waited for the three knocks back before I opened the door. I stepped into their decontamination chamber and waited for entry. I removed my mask and smiled weakly at Sue. She was making her way through the other members of the congregation. Everyone liked to see who was coming in when someone new arrived. I recognized most of their faces by this point.

               "Child, what in the world happened to you, you're soaking wet! Here, let's get you some dry clothes on before you catch a cold. You can tell me all about it."

She ushered me through the crowd and to one of the back rooms where extra supplies were kept. She dug around in some musty boxes and came up with some clothes close enough to my size and a blanket. I thanked her quietly and stepped away to a private spot to change. I felt much better, but my skin still felt clammy and chilled.

                              "Throw your wet clothes over and I'll lay them out by the fire to dry."

The church had created a nice fire pit up on the pulpit that they used for cooking and warmth. They somehow filtered the smoke out through pipes filled with water. I had never stayed long enough to really study the inner workings of this place. I'm sure Tink could explain how they made it all work if I explained it to him though.

I peeked my head around and handed her the wet mess that was my outfit. I had slipped the zippo out of my pants pocket and into my pack so that it wouldn't get lost. Upon undressing, I began to notice the barrage of scrapes and bruises I had. Today had been a tough one. I went over my inventory in my head of what I could trade Sue for a night's rest here in the church. She had always let me know I was welcome to stay, but I had never needed to. The tank I was wearing today was down to one bar. I could trade that and use my fresh tank for the journey tomorrow. By this point I was about six miles away from the Bubble. Which meant a long day tomorrow. I would need the full tank to do any scouting and then to get back.

After dressing, I made my way back to the common room barefoot. There were no shoes even close to my size. I had a few people pat me on the back on my way through. I think they could see by my expression that I had had a rough day. Nothing to eat or drink along with the physical exertion of outrunning a horde...twice. My energy was thoroughly sapped. I was sure I smelt just great too. That stagnant pool water had done me no favors.

I settled by the fire next to my wet clothes and started laying out the items in my pack to dry too. I was disappointed I had let the book get wet, but once it dried, I knew I could still read it. I pulled the cap off my canteen and took a deep drink from it. I had pulled my rations into my lap and was about to cut them open when Sue handed me a hot bowl of stew.

               "You can't eat that mess they call food! You need something warm and hot. Knock the chill off ya."

I looked up from my spot on the ground and took the bowl with a nod and thanked her.

"Sue, do you think you could spare a spot on the floor tonight for me? I've got an almost empty tank I could trade it if you don't mind throwing in an extra bowl of this stew too, I'm starved."

She shook her head at me and replied:

               "You eat your fill child; we take care of people around here. I'll do you one better and pull out a cot for ya so you can sleep next to the fire."

She responded with a wink.

"We could always use caps to keep this place going though, so I'll take you up on that offer of that tank for it."

I nodded and stared into the fire, making a mental note to start keeping some caps on my person in case I needed to stay here again. I had never needed currency out here in the Void. The fire was warming my skin, while the stew was steadily raising my temperature from the inside. I finished it and two more bowls along with draining my canteen before I laid down for the night.

I knew Addie would be worried, but we had always discussed that I would never stay gone for more than two days unless something was wrong. She would worry, but wouldn't worry too much unless I didn't make it back tomorrow.