Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“No. We’ll deal with this on our own."
Taron pulled out a gasoline-stained chair out for Colin. He smiled and stroked Colin’s sweaty hair. He’d found a most precious gem in the deepest mud, and he would never let go of it. He leaned down for a kiss.
Epilogue
In the three years since Peter McGraw’s death, Colin had left the homestead a total of seven times. Three times to celebrate his birthday with something special, once to inform the police that he was in fact alive and not at all lost, once to visit the livestock market, once to go to a prepping conference, and once to go to the dentist. He was all for living off-grid now, but he wouldn’t lose a tooth for the sake of principles when the apocalypse was still a distant concept.
Colin switched off the gas stove and pulled the tray of mason jars layered with cut apples and spices closer. He used a ladle to pour the boiled water with vinegar and sugar into the jars and then screwed the lids on before turning each container upside down. Once this was done, he faced his German Shepherd mix, Zeus, and the dog made a puppy-like squeak when it saw a piece of apple in Colin’s hand.
But Colin found himself salivating too when he glanced through the window. Taron was wearing a woolen hat Colin had made for him last winter, but the hard job of chopping wood must have made him so hot he’d taken off his jacket and stayed in just the T-shirt. Watching him being proficient at stuff never got old, but chopping wood was Colin’s particular favorite. Taron’s chest expanded when he lifted the axe and his arms tensed when he brought it down.
He absentmindedly gave Zeus the piece of apple, but the pie Taron had baked before must have cooled down by now, and since Colin wasn’t an asshole who’d just steal some and eat on his own, he cut two pieces, put on his sweater and left the house with a wide grin. Sugar wasn’t often on their menu, so this was a treat to cherish.
Zeus followed him outside as soon as he swallowed his treat and joined his two sisters, who played in the grass close to their master. The three dogs—then still puppies—had been a surprise for Colin’s birthday, only weeks after he’d decided to stay with Taron for good, and they had proven to be excellent companions. With twice the workforce Taron decided to purchase a couple of goats, and they since produced their own dairy, becoming even more self-sufficient. Three years on, the homestead was Colin’s life, and he didn’t mind it in the least, especially that with a new viral disease killing commercially-reared cattle by the thousands, he and Taron could feed themselves in the peace of their little world.
“I think you deserve a break,” he said, approaching Taron with the pie.
Taron smiled and put down the axe, eager for the treat. He was still their main cook, and organized the jobs needed around the home. Despite Colin once claiming that he was a fast learner and could master prepping in a matter of months if given the right books, Taron always had some knowledge up his sleeve to surprise him with. On the other hand, Colin had made their health his job, and had managed to outlearn Taron in terms of herbs, natural remedies, minor surgery, and also made sure he had all the equipment necessary.
They sat on a bench carved out of a thick tree trunk, and Taron watched Colin take the first bite, eager for praise like Zeus was for a treat. The pie was fantastic, with just the right level of sweetness, and a surprising hint of rosemary.
Colin smiled at Taron and gave him a peck on the lips before pushing closer.
He liked it that they only had each other. Whatever scuffles happened on the way needed to be resolved in one way or another, and because there were no other people around, both of them were supremely motivated to make things work. Or perhaps it was just that they were a perfect fit. Either way, Colin never felt tempted to flirt with anyone else or seek other company during the few times he was away from there.
As time passed, unfamiliar people became more of a nuisance, with their petty problems and lack of focus caused by the informational avalanche of the outside world. In the woods, he and Taron could live in peace, focused on things that mattered and unbothered by distant issues they couldn’t do anything about.
They ate in silence, enjoying the view of yellowing leaves dropping from the trees one by one. Colin had never known such peace before making this place his home. Even though he’d considered Taron’s prepping crazy at first, out here, in the forest, he’d grown to feel safe knowing there was a massive bunker under their feet where they could hide if the world around them crumbled. Preparing for that possibility was now a way of life, so Colin had learned to make provisions the same way he’d learned to use a shotgun.