What Comes After | ✔️

Chapter 10

July 26

I went to the garden by myself today. I told Mom that I was going to be gone for an hour because Charles needed me at the garden.

"And he's going to be there?" Mom asked.

"Yeah," I said. "He's there every day."

"Tell him to stay indoors more," Mom said. "And be back soon."

Today was another quiet walk to the garden that was interrupted by a loud honk from a distant car. Another person gone, probably fleeing to Texas or Mexico, where life is better and less ashy. I could hear the soft rumble of waves and the rustle of the falling leaves. The sweetgum trees lining our roads have been shedding their leaves like it's autumn, cluttering the roads with bright reds and oranges, shining bright in this gray world.

There was a note on the fence to the entrance of the garden.

Be more generous with the watering. I came here yesterday, and the soil was dry. Charles. PS. I've figured out number two. Make sure to bring boots on Thursday.

Boots? I'm not sure why we'd be using boots when sneakers would work just fine, but I have a strong idea about where we'd be going. There's only one place wet enough to need boots. The beach and all those abandoned mansions.

Why'd he want to go back to the beach? Especially after last time and the body that we found. But it's his wish, and I can only hope that it's worth it.

There was a watering pail next to the faucet and a pair of gardening gloves near the base of the shed. I checked the inside of the gloves to make sure that there weren't any spiders or insects crawling around. Watering the plants was an easy, menial task that felt strange considering that the world is crumbling around us. Maybe that's why Charles loves gardening because it's an escape from our chaotic times.

I put on the gardening gloves and started weeding, but there wasn't much to do. The lack of sunlight is even killing the hardiest plants in the world. I went and checked the shed. There was a lock on the door, but it turns out that the lock was broken, and there was a wealth of insecticides, fertilizers, and tools inside. We could use a lot of these, especially the fertilizer, for the pseudo greenhouse that we're trying to build in the garage.

But I decided not to take it. I know there's a part of me that is telling me to take it. It'll help our family and someone else will eventually find out about the shed and take those supplies away. But I can't take it. For right now, It feels wrong to steal things that are supposed to be community supplies. If things get worse, then maybe I'll change my mind.

When I came back home, I was greeted by the clanging of dishes and pots. I walked into the kitchen and saw jars and boiling pots of water.

"What is happening here?" I asked.

"Canning," Mom said. "Leon knows how to do it, and now's a great time to get it done."

"I thought Dad does the cooking stuff," I said.

"Dad is hiding in his room," May said. "He's supposed to be doing some 'important business.' I think he just doesn't want to be around Leon."

"Do you guys need me for anything?" I asked.

"Yeah," May said. "They're making bread out—"

"Bread? Aren't we splurging a little."

"No," May said. "Might as well make it now while we still can."

"You know, because of the gas situation," she added. "They'll teach you how to knead the bread and stuff."

I walked out, and saw Leon and Mira kneading the bread. They were pretty engrossed in their conversation, and I didn't want to interrupt them, so I just walked around awkwardly until they finished whatever they were talking about, probably something about college.