Over the next few days Solomon nursed me back into health. By the time I was up and walking I was just as soon helping out with gathering firewood and hunting for food. We spent many nights with bellies full of radiated rabbit and poisonous alcohol, sharing conversations we would never remember. Solomon had sewn my tacky jacket back into shape. I wrapped the tie around my arm as a bandage and unbuttoned the shirt. As ridiculous as I thought I looked, Solomon said I looked rather posh. He even began referring to me as Fancy Pants on occasion.

Solomon told me about the various communities that The Angels oversee. I’d heard of these communities before, but I believed them to be mere myths; throughout two centuries of roaming this land, I have never seen a single one of them.

He told me of Huntington, a small village a few miles away. He decided that I would be an asset to this community and wanted to introduce me to them.

“I don’t know, honestly.” I told him.

“You don’t know? How could you think such a thing?” He said in his soothing voice.

“Well… I don’t know.” I said, laughing at myself. “That’s the strangest thing about it. You know, Sol, I’ve been a part of this world since it all went to shit. I remember what music was, what we used to use as transportation, what we used to be like with each other. We had always complained of how terrible our world was, and we always strived for perfection; for a perfect world. Well, we got what we wanted, didn’t we?”

“What does that have to do with anything? We’re here because we want to make a perfect world, but we’re not like the EPoB. We don’t kill those who criticize us.”

“But can you really make a perfect world? There will always be something terrible that happens. There will always be death. There will always be evil. There’s no point in trying for a perfect world.” I said to him.

“You said you help people. Why do you fight for a perfect world?” He asked calmly.

“I don’t. I… I just think everybody should be happy with what they have. They shouldn’t strive for more than they need.” I said.

“Maybe what you need isn’t what you want.” He said.

“Maybe.”

***

Solomon and I arrived at Huntington a week later. I was not there to live, but Solomon said I might as well stop by to help him check out the village. Solomon led me into the mountains and through an incredibly narrow cave. It was so narrow I had no walk sideways. It went on the length of three hockey rinks. As the narrow walls grew out we were introduced with a large stone fence. An old graying bearded man with a white t shirt and blue jeans holding a rifle was standing on a perch.

“Halt!” He shouted, gun pointed at us. Solomon raised his hands, so I did too.

“It’s me, Charlie! It’s Solomon!”

“Yeah, I know that, Sol! Who the hell is that behind you? Your butler?” Charlie said. I then realized that the rifle was only pointed at me.

“This is, err… What did you say your name was again?” Solomon whispered to me. I would have been more insulted if I had a name. I told him in a whisper. “The Mechanic!” He finished.

Charlie narrowed his eyes at me.

“You don’t look like a Mechanic.” He said to me.

“I used to!” I responded.

After a few moments, Charlie set the gun to his side, a smile forming on his face and laughter roaring from his lungs.

“Alright, come on in, you too!” He said before the stone wall lowered itself down with chains.

Solomon and I walked in, and inside were houses and cabins made from wood going down as far as the eyes could see. Large torches were lit down the cave, illuminating the houses, the walls, and the people walking through the cave. Oh yes, there were people here. More people in one place I had ever seen since Beauland.

They were all dressed casually, just how they did in the old world, and they were not skeptical, they all smiled and waved at us as we walked by. A few young girls giggled after walking past me and staring at me as if I was some sort of alien.

I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but this place was beautiful. Only a fool would not want to live here. It was perfect.

Charlie caught up to us as Solomon and I were walking down the strip.

“So, what has you visiting us today, Sol?” Charlie asked.

“Just a regular check up, you know how it is. Where would I find Amanda?” Solomon asked.

“Who? Oh, Mandy. Yeah, she should be at home. I’d check there.” Charlie said.

“Thank you, Charlie. Will you be coming with us?” Solomon asked.

“Err… No thank you.” He said quickly before heading back to his post.

“Who’s Amanda?” I asked him.

“She’s their elected leader. She makes no rules or laws but manages production and distribution of goods. All elected leaders must be elected unanimously.” He said.

As we walked down the cave Solomon approached a small wooden shed on our right. He knocked on the door.

“This is her place?” I whispered to him.

“It must be so.” He said calmly.

The shed door opened up and a tall, brown haired woman with an intense gaze was standing on the other side. She looked like she had just woken up, as she was wearing nothing but a housecoat. In the shed were a bed, a nightstand, a lamp, and a few books. Nothing else.

“Oh my god. You live here?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s right, pal.” She said, yawning. “Sol, buddy, what can I do for you?” She asked.

“Just wanted to check up, see how things have been doing. I’d also like to introduce you to The Mechanic here.” She said, gesturing towards me. She looked at me like I was a child.

“And that’s your name?” She said. Solomon continued before I could respond.

“He’s just helping me with the inspection but I have been trying to convince him to live here. He’s a hard working man, I can tell you that. First time I met him he was bloodied up, lying in the dirt, and he still wanted to carry on. For the most part, that is.” He said, casually referencing my hallucination induced suicide attempt.

“Well, you’re cute, I’ll give you that.” She said to me. A strange feeling passed through my body.

“Well, thank you, Amanda.” I said to her.

“Listen, honestly though, you seem like a decent guy, but we got a real problem with trust here. People seem to get feelings of superiority or entitlement that we don’t tolerate. Everyone gets what they need, nobody gets anything more.” She said to me sternly.

“Maybe what you need isn’t what you want.” I said to her, quoting the calm man to my side.

“Maybe.” She said, quoting me in a conversation she’d never heard. “We’ll talk over dinner tonight; I’d like to get to know you.”

“Really?” I said excitedly.

“Yeah, you know, in case you’d like to stay here.” She said to me.

“Well I don’t think there’s much room for both of us in there.” I said, joking. I forced myself to laugh because nobody else would.

“You’ll have your own place.” She said quickly.

“I know.” I said, my smile quickly fading.

After seeing Mandy it seemed like time flew to the time that we were having dinner. It was all I could think about. Solomon left to observe the community while she and I went off alone. We sat at this little bench at the end of the cave, eating beans and slices of meat out of strips of parchment paper.

“How long have you been in America?” She asked me.

“A long time.” I said.

“Your whole life, huh? Born and raised here, myself.” She said.

“Who were your parents?” I asked before she had time to ask me another question.

“Well… They were farmers.” She said bluntly. “Who were your parents?”

“I don’t remember them.” I said.

“They must have left early.”

“They did.” I said.

“How old are you?” She asked after an ugly moment of silence.

“How old do I look?” I asked her.

“I’d say somewhere around 30, maybe 35. But you could be an immortal for all I know.” She said.

“Does it matter? Solomon said there was no discrimination here.” I said.

“No, no, there isn’t… You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Another ugly moment of silence falls upon us. We look into each other’s eyes with no words to say.

“Have you ever been married?” I asked her.

“What? What kind of question is that?” She said aghast. I said nothing.

“No. I haven’t.” She said seriously.

“Me neither.” I said, and a spark shot through her eyes and into mine. Love wasn’t often found in these wastes, especially in the sake of an immortal like me.

“I think I’ll like it here.” I said, smiling.

“I think you’ll like it here, too.” She said, a beautiful smile forming on her intense face.

I told Solomon my decision to stay. Mandy showed me my shack, which was much bigger than hers. Solomon left that night back to camp; he gave me a hug goodbye and said I’d see him next month.

The shack came complete with a mattress, a blanket, a pillow, reading material, cooking supplies, food to eat, and a single lamp. I couldn’t have asked for more. Hell, I should probably ask for less.

Life in Huntington was a simple one, but one I couldn’t complain too. I realized after the first month the reason as to why Charlie had been to apprehensive towards me. His job is easily the most boring in the entire community. After months of living there I had not seen a single stranger make their way through that narrow cave passage. Seeing me might have been the first action Charlie had in years.

He and I gained a rather strange bond. Charlie loved to get drunk and tell jokes during the night time and I was always there to listen. Since I had no longer been saving lives, it was the least I could do. And besides, he wasn’t half bad company.

There were weekly music nights, where the musicians of the company played music on half working salvaged instruments. The tunes were subpar, but soul gripping none the less.

Mandy and I would see each other weekly for the first month. We began to see each other daily for the next three months. We could not get enough of each other’s company, and I could not get enough of her beauty. With a plague of impotence it takes a lot to take me off my feet, but this woman was like no other. She was the woman who fights back, the woman who doesn’t need a protector, the woman who could save the world.

We first kissed after five months of living in Huntington. It was during one of our usual dinners together. She was stressed about who should get how much food, since we were running on rations. My voice was silent but my kiss said everything I could have. Her eyes shot open, but slowly closed as she brought her hand to my cheek.

Solomon would come to visit every month, asking Mandy about the well being of the community and myself about how I’m enjoying Huntington. I said it was alright, but in my heart I could not be happier. When we told him of our partnership, he could not have been happier for us, and despite knowing of my immortality, he said nothing of it.

Life was easy but nothing could stop the nightmares.

Images of death, fire, and brimstone plagued me every night. The sounds of screaming and smell of blood was all too real to be ignored, and some nights I spent restless, terrified of returning to my hellish slumber.

Young, skinless Marley Burrows was on my mind every night. She reminded me the flaws of my past. She reminded me of my weakness of my present. She reminded me the mistakes of my future. She has been branded into my mind, swelling it with agony and guilt. I woke up nights hoping that my screams had just been in my dreams as to not wake up the neighbors.

Night was hell but day was my heaven for those six months. Things had finally made their way around. For the first time in almost a millennium I had felt truly happy.