Chapter 4- Getting Rick Rolled

“Loss is nothing but change and change is nature’s delight” -Marcus Aurelius 

Jenna Found a cave mid-way up a small mountain in an old hiking trail, finally able to rest after hiking for days on end and unable to feed Jake as often. Her chest was on fire and Jake did not like being in the pack. I had been months of walking. The cave was wide and shallow with a nook burrowed into the wall, perfect to sleep in because it was fully hidden stuffed with straw and high up. Settled in and split a grain bar in half looking at both halves and saving the larger one for later. Picking up each crumble, some fell onto Jake's head as he ate his dinner too. 

Feeling his baby hair, so soft, fine, and new. New beginnings... Feeling the weight of everything that happened. Examining over and over the past six months. Remembering each thing that happened, measuring its full burden on her psychology. Everything changed so fast... This wasn't the first time she had to start over from scratch and it won't be the last. She smiled and frowned at the same time, then chuckled. 

“Ending does not mean bad; beginning does not mean good. They just happen. We make them good or bad.” Thinking the words on the fly and whispered to Jake as he wiggled around and kicked his chubby legs in her arms. Rubbing his head she hummed an old hymn. 

Her eyes misted up as she inspected her baby, and a smile formed thinking of Paul talking about teaching his boy. She was good but he was much better for the job... The father-son connection is such a magnificent and masterfully crafted wonder of the universe. “I'll do my best my loves, may God light our path.” With a kiss on Jake's head, she continued humming and then set up for sleep. 

A man with a long black beard and hair stood in a tree as his beard moved in the breeze, His shadowy face was motionless, he peeked out of the brush across from his little hidden place, and then in an instant, he was at the peak of a hill close by. 

It smelled like a woman and a baby. His eye fixed on the little hovel where the intruders were. Imagining who it might be, he smiled imagining what they were like. Watching them to see who they were and imagining what they thought about and wanted from life. Wanting to break all the rules and just say hi… But... Always watch first. The code abides. 

A lifetime of hunting made it easy to hide, mastering the plants of all the surrounding areas he could mask his scent from zombies and pick pocket them even. Doing speed exorcises with his tribe everyday since he could walk... 

Taught from seven generations of hunters and trappers made him lightning fast, silent and deadly. Faster than any animal, even the fastest animals adapted to run faster from the zombies. The dead on the other hand were sometimes endowed with tremendous strength and speed... They are a different story... Remembering the Cannable crusades and he shuddered, lighting his pipe, he took a draw and tasted the Tobacco and special sage blend then disappeared. Sliding into his tree-top house made from a slab of wood and cloth and waterproof fabric, tasting the smoke before it could reach his lungs he exhaled. 

sage weed was amazing for its masking properties and its other effects were nice too, beginning his nightly ritual, he picked up the other pouch of herb and partook and felt himself slow way down and relax to process his thoughts, the only thing that he knew that moved faster than him. 

Starting his meditation. He felt the floor on his back, thinking it is not my back, it is not my floor, this tree did not grow for me, but i am able to use it as home for tonight, thank you. 

Focusing on his extremities he thought, my hands and feet, my arms brush the cool air of the night. It is not my feet, hands arms, or cool air to keep, thank you. 

Feeling his thoughts begin to push back against his concentration, he thought, this head, brain and body full of organs and food and ideas from the day are not mine, thank you. 

Thank you for this shelter. 

Slowing down enough his brain finally shut down for the night. As soon as his eyes fell shut, he dreamed. 

A Stagg snuck behind him while he was hunting and he sank into the mud trapped as the massive Stagg sniffed him, tilted its head and looked him in the eye until his heart began to beat faster than a man’s heart should, until he thought he was dying then blackness. 

His eyes opened, his body calm, he sat up and began his morning routine and watched the woman climb down with a pack on her back. His curiosity peaked, in that moment he vowed to make up a story about the woman and the secret she guarded within her pack, where’s the baby? Hmm baby pouch? He had to gather more information. 

“People! 

People watchin! 

They don't know I'm watchin 

I wonder if that's weird" Mimicking guitar sounds. 

Catching a glimpse of her face, he gasped. She disappeared over the dunes where the desert started to blossom. The green faded into browns, yellows, and reds. 

### 

Small barrel cacti, paddle cacti, and Joshua trees spotted the landscape, mountains winked in and out of existence on the horizon as the day heated up. 

Jenna trekked across the rocky terrain with ease. The sand turned into rocky hills then desert as far as the eye could see. She kept to the rocky terrain she could see. Zombies buried under the sand will pull people down, her people learned that lesson the hard way. Being the earliest nomads to occupy mountain terrain they thrived and traveled outward to build new homes and start villages. She felt guilty thinking about Paul’s stubbornness and why they left Phoenix in the first place. Spotting a marker for Phoenix Village she smiled. 

The path shifted deeper into the desert but stayed rocky until sand covered the path. The winds push the sand back and forth eternally. “Full of zombie landmines. Yay!” She said sarcastically as she poked the sand and smacked the ground to make noise with her walking stick. The zombies could hear any vibration on the ground and will move or groan. When in doubt she would deploy a Humper. An old-world style windup toy, its arms flopped and it would race across the sand. “Evolved” sand lion zombies would pull people down to their doom, they always go after the toy and reveal their hidden places. You can see them throwing sand out of their pits when they have fully changed and they reproduce. 

The path was clear and easy but ended at a mountain and forked north and south. Words were etched into a boulder protruding out of the mountain directly ahead. “Noon," along with symbols and rudimentary drawings painted with mineral dyes. 

She turned north and started walking. Having traveled the path many times, she knew the desert's secrets. The sand made her comfortable and the dry cool air hugged her skin comfortably. She was home. The sun high in the sky now made the mirages dance along the edges of a series of mountains. Walking through a giant crashing ocean wave she walked inside and blurred away disappearing into the mountain. 

Unseen guards above used a bird call and she replied with a sparrow's song then a ladder was lowered. She climbed it to the top. 

The ladder led to a pathway inaccessible by any other route because all other ways were littered with traps for zombies and hostile humans, markings could be seen in the daylight where all the explosives were. The thin path was high and traced the spine of an ancient atomically flash fossilized dune pushed into the side of a high mountain. Time wore all the rest of the glass and dunes away. The curve of the dune matched the mountain's shape, looking out of place but it was the perfect bridge. Wrapping around the ledge to a hole in the cliffside. The entrance to the city of Phoenix Ash. 

Carved deep into the upper sides of a chain of mountains. It was a huge subterranean structure with tunnels burrowed running North south, east, and west all led to homes and various chambers for commerce, it was huge, the center being the largest chamber. Each tunnel was guarded, collapsible, and filled with guns upon guns and battle stations in homes. I was told that there was a gun under every flake of rock. 

A group of children shot past her in the tunnel, two lagged. A shorter chubby babyfaced black kid and a tall thin gangly white Irish boy, the chubby one was crying. She watched them until they disappeared into the anti-chamber, not even noticing her. “He's all grown up." she chuckled. "I wonder if he even remembers me. 

They were both yelling at each other about a girl being mean. 

“Don't threaten to kill people Dud” The skinny one yelled. 

“Don't call me Dud!!” 

“Dudley, Come on you know me, I wouldn't call you that how they mean it, I wasn't even thinking when I said it.” 

“I know, I'm sorry.” Dudley cried even harder as they jogged to the capitol, trying to beat the other kids there before they could tell on him. 

The round center of the cave was big, about three stories tall at its peak and huge in diameter. The cave was filled with food vendors, gun tables, armor, and anything you could need. 

The capitol building itself was etched into solid stone on the northeast wall. Waiting for a cart to pass she looked around and didn't recognize anyone, then cut across to the middle where the escape hatch into the upper mountains is. It took up a lot of the center where a mini maze of cages led to the hatch so any zombies could be funneled and taken care of with minimal loss of life in case of emergency evacuation. It was clunky and looked gaudy clean of rust or debris. Vender stands took up the empty spaces around its parameter according to code, keeping evacuation routes clear. 

The capitol building reached the Height of the cave wall and offices were carved all throughout, engineered by the finest old-world masters who survived and passed on their building techniques. Filled with farm animals and hydroponics and everything they need to survive every single person could sustain themselves in case of the complete collapse of tunnels or the entirety of the city is overtaken. It is the trade capital of the world after all. 

Most of the old knowledge faded but thanks to books, the memories never faded away. The memories waxed and waned, then blossomed and changed but never left the builders and artisans, even after the few hundred years After Zombie, so they had to have backup plans with backup plans. 

Blase leaned against the wall, standing exactly where she knew he would be, next to CIN who saw him as she saw them with his AI robo vision. 

“well sheee’oot look what the cat drug in.” Pointing at her approaching with his metal finger. Blase looked up from his bored stupor and saw a blurry figure, a woman, 

she started to climb the small set of steps. Leaving his mouth open in disbelief then flashing his wry smile and back to his resting unimpressed face. 

“What the heck are you doin?” He stated plainly. 

She opened her mouth to reply but he continued without waiting, “Where is Paul?” 

She didn't say anything. 

Blase unsurprised by anything anymore, frowned for a second in recognition, then said “What brings ya out this way, how can we help? 

CIN looked down at the dirt building up on his foot joints, unsure how to process his sadness or if it was even sadness he felt or his self-programming logic quantum processor chipsets. Remaining quiet afraid to say something wrong stayed quiet. 

Jenna gave a smile and said, “I need my family.” 

“You are home now; Rick is inside let's all talk and catch up.” Placing his hand gently on the back of her shoulder then they walked through the wicket Gate into the main building. Inside, was deceptively smaller than the outside. A tall thin black man rubbed the back of his neck, his large bald head stuck out on his thin frame. 

“We will go talk to her together, there is no problem in the world that cannot be fixed with words. Rick said Smiling gently. Dudley’s eyes watered, “She’s so mean.” He pouted. 

“If she is in the wrong, we will find out. If you react like that, then you’ll get in trouble too. If you mind your manners you’ll always come out on top.” 

“Such a cheese ball, Jenna said then snickered. Rick knowing it was her voice smiled and locked eyes with her. “Jenna, My dear, how may I serve you.” 

His sweet voice almost made her cry impulsively, catching herself she smile. “I’m going to be staying for a while, I need a place to sleep and some work maybe.” Her voice cracked and she barely caught it. “Aaaahhh, I see my love, come this way.” Walking over to a shelf he picked a smallish red book and opened it, searching its pages. By her demeanor, he knew what had happened and why she was alone. His eyes screamed I'm so sorry with a gentile smile that said everything's ok. 

Tears welled up in her eyes. Wanting to break down she let some of her pain show, this time in front of someone, a human being to share the burden of reality with.  “Without saying a word Rick comforts me, he doesn’t even actually know why I'm so hurt but he understands.. He is such a dad.” She thought.  

“Your heart is so beautiful that you can still feel your pain and express it. We’re a dying breed, Jen.” Smiling the biggest smile he could muster. 

“When you make it through this pain and loss, you will be the most powerful person on this planet.” She remained silent as he led her to her quarters. 

“Is he.. Still walking?” Rick asked. 

“Yes.” She replied.  

“We will go and bless him. All of us together.” He said grabbing her hand gently as they walked silently to her door. “Get comfortable, both of you clean, rest, and relax. I will assign you a short-term job to earn your keep Mis and Little Man.”  At those words, he turned and walked away briskly. 

Jenna woke early the next morning; Jake lay away staring at her with his big eyes. Not moving much, just observing intently. She lay there for half an hour, not wanting the moment to ever end. If they could just live in this bubble forever. 

She put the pot of coffee on the Firestone, an old-world device that looked like a stone with three concentric circles on it. A portable camp stove. The smell of fresh coffee filled the whole of the living quarters from all the many coffee pots. The smell of sage weed from the patrons of the smokables shop wafted in at the wee hours of the morning too. 

Sipping her dark roasted brew she pondered her day. 

She finished getting Jake ready and was reaching for the door when she heard a knock. Opening it, she saw Rick's face. “Good morning. Ready for your tour? “He said while grabbing Jake's little foot. 

“We are,” she said with a smile. 

“Follow.” He said politely. 

Turning he headed South towards the center of town. 

“I’ve seen the town before Rick, what are we doing?” 

“You knew this place, Mrs. Jenna, but it is not the same place it was 2 years ago.” 

“ohh, mysterious.” She chuckled. 

They walked through the Bazaar and weaved in and out of people and stands and merchandise. Rick picked up two apples and paid in the town's currency. Coins crafted from various metals assigned specific amounts, tossing a copper coin and a steel ten-ounce coin in the collection box they continued on their way. 

The shopkeeper mumbled something about haggling as they walked away. 

Coming to the herbal stand he purchased two bundles of Mommy root, a plant that had all the vitamins for a nursing mother and her child, various wild mushrooms packed with vitamins, red grapes for hydration, and lastly a pouch of pipe tobacco for himself. 

Crossing the street into a shop, the sign read, Brock Keller’s. She ran into the shop as quickly as she could rushing past Rick and squeezing her half-sized best friend. She yelled “Mandy!!” at the top of her lugs and hugged her friend. She heard an echo of her scream as if she was hugging her friend before the sound could reach their ears. 

Roma and Marik were there too. 

“Brothers! How have you been? Where's old man Brock isn't dead yet is he?” She said gruffly. 

Brock shouted with his raspy voice from the back. “Aint dead yet Mrs. ha-ha.” 

“where's Paul? He ain't dead yet is he?” Roma stated gruffly. 

“He got Twenty-six'd” She replied resolutely. 

“He was a great man I'm sorry” Her old friends all began speaking at the same time then silence.” 

Mandy began again... “The group is back and plus one!” They visited with each other for a while until Brock came out of the back room. 

“Armed with the finest non-deadly Zombie stopping and restraining weapons ever to be seen.” Brock croaked. 

“Holding a net gun lined with a topical toxin that causes Zombies to go limp for a few hours. Darts, Heck even bullets laced with the toxin will do the trick. Maybe another 80 more years but we will find a way to help them.” 

“We can only hope.” Jen smiled bigger than she had in a long long time. It almost made her eyes feel sunken in and lethargic thinking about how long she's been alone and sad for. Even after Sal. 

The door to the shop creaked open and in walked Master Akari. 

“Hello, Mrs. Jenna. I heard you were back in town.” The master woodworker said. “Has it already been two years?” 

Jenna began replying but Rick began to speak interrupting on accident. “I called this meeting so we could all be on the same page.” 

Realizing he interrupted he guided Master Akari over to her while he continued to speak. 

“As we all know, there was a great loss to our community. We will journey to Paul and perform the rituals as soon as we can. He must be marked as one of our own before other groups find him and murder him. 

Jenna, it is up to you when we leave. You know exactly how far and where to go, and you must be ready mentally and physically, my dear. Are you prepared to leave now or will you need more time?” 

“I will need a week to meditate and get my bearings, then I will be ready, wholeheartedly.” 

Akari's wise old eyes looked deep into hers as if he was reading her soul, and knew her inner thoughts. He smiled, held her hand, and nodded his head. 

”go-shūshō-sama desu.” He said with a slight bow. 

“Would you permit an old man to accompany you? My family lived in a house in the neighborhood You were in. Word has gotten around town that you came from the northeast and you mentioned the name of a train station near my grandfather who was twintysixed at the beginning, all those years ago. I must make my last pilgrimage and I want to say goodbye to my old friend, Paul.” His wrinkled aged brow rose and moved up and down as he spoke. 

“It would be our honor, master. We will depart in a weeks time.” Jen replied respectfully. 

“Arigato, Thank you all, I will find my way to you at that time.” With that, he left just as slowly as he came. 

The brothers talking amongst themselves finally spoke up. "It's ironic that we and Paul agreed that it was better to kill the zombies and he couldn't stand being told he was wrong so he left and it ultimately got him bitten. Now he will be saved by the people he ran from."  

Marik interjected, "Life comes full circle." They both nodded in agreement. 

Jen and her friends talked and visited for hours, re-visiting war stories from their teenage years At the end of the cannibal wars. All the friends and family past and present, dead, alive, and undead. Jenna’s heart soared and melted both at the same time seeing her old friends with her boy and his quiet observing eyes and his cute innocent smile. Uncovered by the world gone and come again, unaware of the life he has to lead. The struggles he will endure. Her friends' smiles and the nostalgia emanating from the conversations made her at peace with it all.