Page 5 of Tower
“Jen, this is Hailey. Can you get her settled? Show her around and explain how things work around here.”
Jen’s hair is half gray, and I’d guess she’s in her fifties. She’s a soft, pleasant-looking woman several inches shorter than my five-five. “She’s… she’s staying here?”
“In my room. What’s the problem?”
“N-nothing. Of course I’ll show her around.”
Levi gives me one more look—quick and unreadable. Then he leaves the building without another word.
Jen and I stare at each other.
“Are you hurt, hon?”
My throat aches at the unexpectedly kind question. “No. I’m okay.”
Her green eyes shift to the door where Levi just disappeared. “What on earth is going on? He didn’t… He never went and killed your daddy, did he?”
I swallow hard. “Why do you ask?”
“Because it’s not like him at all. He’s had to do some awful things—all of us have—but he’s never been like that. And he’s stopped others who’ve tried it. He didn’t… He didn’t… You’re really okay, right?”
“I’m okay. He didn’t rape me. And everything else… it’s not what it looks like.” I want to tell her the truth since she’s clearly kindhearted and incredibly worried, but I also don’t want tomake a mistake that could compromise the advantage Levi will gain from this. “I chose to be here.”
She looks at me for a long time, and I see the moment she’s convinced by my words. “Well, I’m betting it wasn’t much of a choice, but who has any good choices after Impact? You’ll be safe here at least, and that’s something. Come with me, and I’ll show you around.”
Jen takes me around the motel and courtyard. She introduces me to a few other women—all of them of various ages and most of them wives or girlfriends of the guys.
Jen, I learn, is the mother of Dep, whose real name is Doug. He’s Levi’s “deputy,” so everyone just calls him Dep.
Levi’s room is directly above the lounge area in the old lobby. It’s clearly the best bedroom in the building—double the standard space with a king-size bed and a roomy closet. There’s also a big bathroom, but the plumbing doesn’t work. The whole region lost running water shortly after we lost electricity. The neighboring property on the back side of the motel had a well, which they took over. The mechanically minded among them engineered a method of pumping the water out without power, and that’s what they’ve been using for drinking water. They also have a fairly sophisticated system to collect rainwater.
It’s the same strategy that my dad and I used to survive through these years without the infrastructure we used to count on. We used candles and lanterns and flashlights at night, and we gave up all the luxuries and conveniences of life that demanded electricity to run.
These people have been doing the same. Everyone has. I see a couple of women washing clothes by hand and some men repairing damage to the building without any power tools.
The old restaurant is now their main kitchen, pantry, and dining area. There’s a lot going on in there—both men and women preparing and wrapping sandwiches for lunch. Someone else is working on baking more bread in a huge old-fashioned woodstove they obviously moved in here after Impact.
Around back there’s a fenced area with a lot of chickens and ducks.
I knew they had eggs because my dad would occasionally trade for them with the vegetables we grew.
A lot of guys are stationed at posts around the property, standing guard.
Despite all the work going on, there are still a lot of folks hanging around the courtyard, some tinkering on vehicles and some doing absolutely nothing.
Jen doesn’t introduce me to any of the men, but they all stare as I pass by.
After we make the rounds, Jen takes me back to Levi’s room. “For a while, you might want to stay here unless you’re with me or Dep or Boss. A lot of folks will behave just because, and more will behave ’cause they’re scared of Boss. But you’re new here, and you’re awfully pretty. Someone might make a move. So until everyone settles again and they’re used to you, I think you’ll be safer staying in here.”
“Okay. That sounds like a good plan.” I glance at the door, which has been upgraded with extra safety bars. “Where is Levi… Boss now?”
“They’re on a run, so he won’t be back until late afternoon. I’ll bring you your lunch, and then I can come get you later this afternoon if you want to help with making dinner?”
“Yes. I’d like to help. Thank you.”
“Okay.” She looks at me for a long minute. “You’re gonna be all right, hon.”
“Thank you.”
