Free Days of Love and Blood by R.S. Carter Page B

me use a bamboo sword wrapped in leather.”
    “So, where did you get the real things?”
    “His house,” I replied. “After he was gone.” Ivy closed her eyes and nodded in sympathetic respect. There was no need for me to explain his absence.
    “And you never used one before? I mean the real thing?”
    “Nope. Not once. He let me feel the weight of the real ones and he taught me how to care for them, but he only let me train with fake ones. So, I’m no expert. I’m probably terrible at it.”
    “You looked like you knew what you were doing to me.”
    “Thanks. The world went to shit only six months after I’d been working with Sho. But I’m thankful I had that much time with him. It helped me protect Ronan. So what was it like when you first met Marianna?”
    “ It was a relief,” Ivy began with a smile, hugging at her knees. “She was as happy to see me as I was to see her. We didn’t know each other at all and yet we couldn’t stop hugging. It was weird but at the same time it felt normal - I can’t explain it very well.”
    “You don’t have to. I’m all too familiar with the feeling. Every time we bumped into a survivor, it was the same reaction. Complete and utter happiness. Out of nowhere. Every stranger was a like long-lost buddy.”
    “I guess you would know. So there she was, Marianna, in my driveway. She jumped out of her car and ran toward me and then stopped about a foot away from me. She had this look like she wasn’t sure. I introduced myself and said that I hadn’t seen anyone in so long and suddenly she just threw her arms around me. I hugged her back. We stood there, on my front lawn with her kids in the car watching while we cried and hugged. She’s been with me ever since.”
    For the rest of the night I continued to ask questions. I didn’t want to talk about Ritchie or the day I lost him, so I kept focusing on Ivy’s story. That was the way it had always been. Ivy loved to talk and I was the one who always pandered to her stories, asking for more. I genuinely enjoyed listening to her and she was grateful for the sounding board. She also knew when to back off when I steered her away from certain topics.
    At three in the morning and after two more bottles of wine, we crawled up the stairs to the bedrooms. I slid into bed next to Ronan and had Ivy take the guest room, but not before swallowing several tablets of ibuprofen and slamming a glass of water.

    In the morning I drove Ivy home and dropped Ronan off with her. He was more than happy to seek out the children on the farm and get to know them. I understood what he needed. A child can have a number of adults to depend on, but without other children nearby that child will still feel utterly alone. It had been a long two months for him.
    Already wearing my protective gear, I put the camper into motion without stopping to chat with the few curious people who waved in my direction. As I pulled out of the drive I noticed Solomon and Cooper in my side-view mirror, both watching my departure with their hands on their hips. I didn’t bother to fill anyone in on my agenda, besides Ivy.
    I made my way down the rural road and b efore I hit the highway I recognized a small local store for children’s clothing. Knee High To A Grasshopper had been in business since before I was born and I could remember Mom taking me there twice a year when I was a kid. I crawled in through a broken window and lifted as much as I could from the racks in Ronan’s size. I made five trips, clearing them out of all clothes and shoes in Ronan’s size and one up.
    The next town over had a small market. I parked outside and held my horn down for three seconds. There was no movement. Homicidals almost always congregated in food stores and so I tested the haven with a loud noise to alert any dwellers of my presence. Nothing happened.
    Normally, my food raids would be sparse. We didn’t have a ton of room on the trailer because we needed living space. I always