Bell led the group towards the run-down farmhouse that sat, improbably, miles from anywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cRun-down\u201d was perhaps being kind: the sagging roof likely had leaks if not outright holes, several stretches of the eaves were warped, mold and moss were growing in large patches on the siding, and there was peeling on nearly every painted surface. All the windows were boarded up, though some of the planks had rotted away leaving gaps in the barriers. The surrounding fence was losing its battle to contain the tide of overgrown shrubs and weeds.<\/p>\n
Bel had stumbled across the house several nights ago while the Night Walkers were having an informal orienteering run. She misread the crudely drawn map Sergiu had created and wandered a quarter mile off course. After figuring out her mistake, she righted herself with a bearing towards the next navigation point and found the abandoned structure directly in her path. She noted the location on the map, and came back during the day to get a better look at it.<\/p>\n
Its potential was obvious, and she told Alina about it that evening. Alina told Sergiu, because\u00a0of course<\/em>\u00a0she did, and he wanted to have a look.<\/p>\n \u201cThe upstairs is a dump,\u201d she said as they crossed through the gap in the fence line, \u201cbut the main floor is in good shape. And there\u2019s a cellar, with an entrance there.\u201d She pointed to the large wooden doors in the ground as they crossed what used to be a manicured yard and was now just a thicket of weeds. \u201cThere\u2019s even a well in the back, though I haven\u2019t tried it out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFireplace, too,\u201d Sergiu said, looking at the brick structure climbing the wall up past the roof.<\/p>\n \u201cYup. C\u2019mon inside.\u201d<\/p>\n The door protested loudly on failing hinges as Bel pushed it open. Alina and Sergiu went in first. Neena, Hassi, Eduari, and Patia followed. Bel came in last, closing the door behind her. They were all clumped in the entry, looking it over. Their ingress had kicked up a large dust cloud, and Patia had a brief sneezing fit. They could see the sunlight in the air where it shone through gaps in the makeshift shutters.<\/p>\n It was dim inside, but not dark. Not that either would stop a Night Walker.<\/p>\n Sergiu let out a low whistle. \u201cDamn. This would make one hell of a clubhouse for us. A little inconvenient, but you can\u2019t beat it for privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Alina added, \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen this much dust in one place.\u201d She rubbed her foot on the floor, kicking up another small, gray cloud. \u201cNo one has been in here for a long, long time.\u201d She pointed to Bel\u2019s boot prints. \u201cUntil you came along, of course.\u201d Alina grinned.<\/p>\n Bel smiled back and continued her sales pitch. \u201cThe ground floor has a couple of large rooms\u2013the fireplace is in one of those\u2013and a kitchen. Oh, and there\u2019s access to the cellar in here, too.\u201d<\/p>\n She led Sergui and Alina into one of the larger spaces. The others followed closely, murmuring excitedly.<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like the leak is making its way down here in a couple of spots,\u201d Sergiu said, pointing to discolorations in the ceiling. \u201cThere and there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s not too bad,\u201d Alina added.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Not too bad.\u201d Sergiu paused. He pointed up with his index finger, and shook his hand slowly as a thought came to him. \u201cI bet I know what this was. I think it\u2019s an old mine office. We should be careful outside; the mine entrance may be nearby. Even if it\u2019s boarded up properly, it\u2019s still dangerous. Last thing we need is someone falling in one and fucking breaking something.\u201d<\/p>\n From behind them came Eduari\u2019s voice. \u201cWas this from one of\u00a0your\u00a0<\/em>dad\u2019s mines, you think?\u201d He was asking the question everyone was thinking.<\/p>\n \u201cI dunno, Ed. I don\u2019t think so? There were a lot of small mines around here a while back. Several of \u2018em shut down when they stopped producing. The ones that lasted eventually got bought out, then shut down over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean \u2018taken over\u2019, asshole,\u201d Alina corrected.<\/p>\n Sergiu shot her an annoyed look. \u201cSame difference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you don\u2019t\u00a0know<\/em>,\u201d Eduari replied.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u00a0Ed<\/em>, I don\u2019t\u00a0fucking know<\/em>. Dad and I have an agreement. He doesn\u2019t involve me in his business, and I don\u2019t fucking ask about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u00a0could\u00a0<\/em>have been one he bought out,\u201d Neena suggested.<\/p>\n Bel stayed silent, trying to will the others to do the same. This subject was a sore point with Sergiu, something she learned early on.<\/p>\n He turned to address the group. \u201cDo you geniuses know\u00a0why\u00a0<\/em>I hang out with you all? There\u2019s a lot of reasons, but a big one is that\u00a0none of us fucking talk about my dad\u2019s fucking mine.<\/em>\u00a0Also, because he and his cronies are always talking shit about the people who work in them, and laughing about it like it\u2019s a fucking\u00a0joke<\/em>, and I\u00a0hate\u00a0<\/em>being around them. You all aren\u2019t jokes to me, and I don\u2019t want to ruin this thing we have by\u00a0talking about my dad\u2019s fucking mine<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n This speech was followed by an uncomfortable silence, which Alina broke by saying, \u201cYou\u2019re going soft on us, Sergiu.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFuck you, Alina.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that a promise?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone else snickered at this, most of the kids trying and failing to hold it in. Though they acted otherwise, Bel was pretty sure the two of them were a couple and just went to great lengths to hide it. It was a suspicion shared by every member of the Night Walkers.<\/p>\n \u201cOK,\u201d Sergiu said, sighing heavily and rolling his eyes, \u201cIf we are all done\u00a0being children<\/em>, can we\u00a0please<\/em>\u00a0go upstairs and see how bad it is up there?\u201d<\/p>\n Bel was eager to move on. She grinned and said, \u201cRight this way!\u201d<\/p>\n She led them to the decaying stairs, and carefully up to the second story. The musty smell of mold assaulted their noses as they reached the top.<\/p>\n Everyone agreed that the upstairs was, indeed, \u201ca huge, fucking mess\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cGods,\u201d Alina said, staring at the gaps in the roof. \u201cI\u2019ve seen colanders that hold more water.\u201d<\/p>\n Sergui snorted. \u201cFuck. Of\u00a0course\u00a0<\/em>it had to be too good to be true. That roof is not long for this world, and it just might take someone with it. Fuck! I really wanted this to work out.\u201d<\/p>\n That was when Hassi finally spoke. \u201cI think we can patch it.\u201d<\/p>\n Neena practically laughed in response. \u201cYou think we can patch it? Why is that? Because of all your experience working on roofs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey! My parents are carpenters!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd because \u2018your parents are carpenters,\u2019\u201d Ed mocked, \u201cYou are suddenly a fucking roofing expert?\u201d<\/p>\n Bel found this sort of childish bickering exhausting. As much fun as the Walkers could be, they could also be equally exasperating. She stomped her foot and yelled, \u201cEnough!<\/em>\u00a0Unless there\u2019s anyone here who\u00a0does\u00a0<\/em>have roofing experience, can we at least listen to the one person who\u00a0might actually know what they are talking about<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n To Bel\u2019s surprise, Sergiu came to her defense. \u201cBel\u2019s right. Unless one of you lot knows more about this than Hassi, just shut it and let him talk.\u201d<\/p>\n No one spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cHassi? Go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Hassi said, glaring at Eduari, \u201cto patch it properly we\u2019d need plywood and some tar. But that\u2019s not practical.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Alina said. \u201cNone of us are carrying hot tar and sheets of plywood half a day from Diamond Lake.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut we could do a temporary patch, with a water resistant tarp. We drape it over the apex so water doesn\u2019t just run under it. I\u2019ve seen my folks use them. Not in this exact way, but it should still work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat!\u201d said Alina. \u201cSo where do we get a waterproof tarp? One big enough to cover\u00a0that<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Bel knew the answer to this. Her mom worked a lot of odd jobs, and a couple of years ago she spent a good part of the summer making tents. Tidwoad had gotten a large order from the garrison, and didn\u2019t want to lose the sale due to a lack of supply. \u201cWe make it from a cloth sheet and linseed oil. You stretch the sheet out and make it as taught as you can. Nail it down around the edges to keep tension in it. Then paint it with linseed oil. I\u2019ve seen my mom do it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Hassi said. \u201cThe tension and the angle help keep the water from dripping through. It just rolls off. The linseed oil makes it more durable. It wouldn\u2019t last forever, or keep the water out like a proper repair, but it\u2019d be loads better than just letting the rain in.\u201d<\/p>\n Alina and Sergiu looked at one another, considering this new opportunity. Finally, Alina nodded her head, and then Sergiu did too. \u201cOK. This is good. This is\u00a0really<\/em>\u00a0good. I think we have a place we can call our own, and a plan for fixing it up.<\/p>\n \u201cNow. Let\u2019s go take a look at that well.\u201d<\/p>\n The well turned out to have drinkable water. It had an odd taste, but not a\u00a0bad<\/em>\u00a0one, and it looked clean. Bel watched from the porch as several of the teens took turns lowering and raising the bucket. They had made some sort of impromptu game out of it, and Bel was trying to work out the rules when Sergiu came over and stood next to her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did good, Bel.\u201d<\/p>\n Bel looked at him warily. Sergiu had stopped being outright mean to her a few months ago, but he\u2019d never even graduated to \u201cindifferent\u201d, much less \u201cnice\u201d. She wasn\u2019t sure if he was being honest with her now, or setting her up for a backhand to the compliment.<\/p>\n \u201cLook,\u201d he said, taking on a serious tone. \u201cI\u2019ve been a real shit to you and I just want you to know that I\u2019m sorry. It wasn\u2019t right. I\u2019ve not been fair. I\u2019m still not happy that you came in so young, but that\u2019s on me. Truce?\u201d<\/p>\n He held out his hand for Bel to shake.<\/p>\n Bel was sure his change in tone was, in very large part, a result of her finding the abandoned house, and not some spontaneous change of heart. But, that was still something, and it was a trade Bel was willing to make. It was, in fact, one she was\u00a0hoping<\/em>\u00a0for. So she gripped his hand in hers, and shook it firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cTruce.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bell led the group towards the run-down farmhouse that sat, improbably, miles from anywhere. \u201cRun-down\u201d was perhaps being kind: the sagging roof likely had leaks if not outright holes, several stretches of the eaves were warped, mold and moss were growing in large patches on the siding, and there was peeling on nearly every painted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[72],"class_list":["post-4611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aow-vignettes","tag-bel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4612,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4611\/revisions\/4612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}