The Last Colony

Part 52

Deciding to settle in was easy, but the work they had to put in to make the farm safe was harder. The animal fence needed repairs. The land needed to be tilled and weeded after months of being left to overgrow. However, what they all needed right now was sleep. Mari took a room for herself and the rest of them shared the master bedroom. Taking extra pillows and blankets from a closet, Zero, Kenny, and Nate slept on the floor. They all let Mark have the bed since Sean would most likely sleep with him. Just as they were settling in though, Sean refused to join him. Instead, sleeping on a reclining chair in the corner. It hurt Mark a little. Sean had been acting a little weird with him since leaving the barn. By early morning, Mari and Nate were fixing up the house for them. While Mark and Kenny worked out in the field. They had started before the sun was up and by noon, Mark was sweating oceans. Pulling his horse to a stop, he leaned on the handles of the plow to rest for a minute.

Behind him, Kenny finished planting the seeds that Sean and himself had collected at the farmers market in California. Kenny then trudged over to the horse to pet Barney's sweaty neck. Mark looked at their work, panting out. "Well... It's not perfect. But it's at least a start." Kenny nodded, unhooking Barney as he told Mark. "I'll go see if I can get the sprinklers running to water them. Here. Take Barney back to the barn. He looks like he could use a drink." Mark chuckled, mumbling out. "Ya... So can I." Taking the reins, Mark casually walked Barney across the street and back up the drive toward the house. Kenny joined them for a bit, but broke off as the gate came up. Kenny rushed to the house to help Nate remove some tattered furniture from the house. While Mark opened the fence to walk Barney into the field. Removing his harness, Mark patted Barney's ass lightly and Barney trotted off toward the barn on his own. Across the field, Zero had an adult sheep pinned to the ground with his knees as he sheared off its thick wool coat. He'd already shaved down a few and they looked happier for it in the heat. The baby lambs leapt and dashed across the field with boundless energy.

Calling out to Zero, Mark asked him curiously. "Hey?! Zero! Where is Jack?!" Zero paused in his work to point toward the barn with his shears. Mark gave him a thumbs up, heading to the open barn. Upon entering the barn, Chica trotted over to him. He rubbed her ear, looking around the semi cleaned up barn. The feed had been cleaned and moved somewhere else. The floor had been swept and cleaned. Most of the stall doors were open, revealing fresh hay and water. Barney stood in one of them, gulping down water. In another, Agro stood with her head over the door to watch her baby. Little Finbar was tied just outside her stall, allow them to touch noses as Sean brushed him. Sean looked just as tired as himself, but he looked happy. Approaching slowly, he saw a smile pull at Sean's face. Without looking at him, Sean told him hopefully. "Everything alright? I thought Barney got away from you." Mark crossed his arms, huffing out playfully. "No. I can handle him. What about you? Place looks good."

Sean stopped brushing Finbar's tail, admitting in a tired tone. "Ya... But they've only got so much feed left... What are we going to do? The plants will take months to grow..." Mark leaned on Agro's stall door, answering a bit grimly. "Well... We'll have to cull the herd. Save the young and healthy." Sean pouted a bit, nodding reluctantly. Standing up, Sean told him softly. "I guess, that would help..." Mark watched Sean walk to a storage room, pushing a large five-hundred-pound tractor tire out of the way like it weighed nothing. Setting the horse brush in a bucket inside another storage room in the back corner, Sean moved the tire outside. Leaning the tire against the barn wall, Sean told Mark curiously. "I don't get it. I've looked everywhere. They got these old tractor tires... but no tractor?" Mark marveled at him. Nate's gift had vanished with the plants cure... but some things still remained with Sean and Sean didn't even notice it.

Shrugging, Mark casually told him. "The person probably sold it. They were having bank trouble before all this hit. Judging by the plows we found this morning... The person probably sold off the horses too. That just left the sheep..." Sean pointed to the now doorless storage room that used to hold the feed, telling him. "Lucky for them, they could break into the food to stay alive for as long as they did." Mark nodded, glancing up at the second floor of the barn. He could see the bags of grain and stacks of hay up there. Licking his lips, he told Sean lightly. "We really lucked out with this place. Let's hope we can keep it..." Sean moved closer, gently replying. "We survived in California. We can survive here." Mark lowered his eyes to look at Sean, hefting a heavy sigh, he told him softly. "I planted the Blood Orchid seeds around the boarder of the farm... but I don't understand how they will help." Sean shrugged his shoulders, innocently telling him. "Who knows. Let's just enjoy what we have, while we have it."