Aftermath of the Reckoning

Chapter 16

For two days after the battle with Wendell, Zoey spent her time hunting, cooking and caring for Patch as he recovered. Patch’s vision improved a little each day, however the tremendous damage caused by the loss of his arm left him weaker than he wanted to admit. He couldn’t walk far without succumbing to waves of dizziness, nearly falling backwards on a couple of occasions had Zoey not been there to steady him.

They used the remainder of Patch’s torn jacket to wrap the stump that remained of his arm after cleaning it as best as possible with water. Zoey hoped that Patch would be able to resist an infection, especially if that beast had been sent by Nex, as was most likely the case.

On the third day, they both set out in an effort to cover at least half the distance to Piedmont, seven or so miles. Patch held her hand as usual, and she didn’t ask if he could see well enough yet. She didn’t want to know the answer, at least not today, as his warm fingers interlocked with her own.

She did have other questions, however, to which she still sought answers. With all of the busy work that occupied her time over the last couple days and with Patch sleeping throughout most of it, they had surprisingly little opportunity to talk.

“Patch, can you tell me about yourself? What your life was like before joining the Harvesters?”

Patch slowed for a second and then resumed his original pace. “Sorry Zoey, I can’t do that.”

Taken by complete surprise, Zoey stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “What? Why not?”

“Because I don’t remember my life much before joining the Harvesters. My earliest memories were of waking up in Poplar Bluff in an old Super 8 motel room. I spent a year there, struggling to survive, before I met Howitzer.”

Zoey stared in disbelief. “You’re kidding me. You didn’t know your name or anything?”

“No, I still knew my name and academic knowledge like reading, writing and math. I just didn’t recall anything about who I was or how I came to be at that location.” Patch paused briefly before continuing. “Actually that’s not entirely true. When I awoke, I was covered in blood from head to toe. The sheets...sticky with blood.”

Even though the event happened a while ago, Zoey tensed. “Did someone try to kill you?”

“I don’t know. There was a note however, on the night stand. It said meet me at the bridge when you’re ready.”

“What does that mean?”

“No idea. I managed to visit each of the small bridges in the area, those that crossed the Black River, several times. However, I never found anyone or anything there. The town was deserted, at least until Howitzer arrived.”

“Patch, I’m so sorry,” Zoey said feeling true pain in her heart from his words.

“Don’t be — I’m not. From the stories I hear others tell of the Reckoning, I feel almost thankful to start with a clean slate. Besides, if that didn’t happen to me, who knows if I would have ever met you.”

Zoey blushed and turned to hide her smile, however surely not before Patch witnessed her reaction. Where had all these emotions come from? She had never felt such things from another human before, much less a man. In an effort to conceal her embarrassment, she resumed walking, though still interwoven with his right hand. “If you didn’t meet me when you did, I’d be dead by now. I owe you a lot.”

Patch smiled knowingly. “Don’t forget, it was my clan who trapped you and nearly killed you. Besides, you saved me the other day from that creature, so we’re even.”