Gather Around the Campfire

A month was a surprisingly brief passage of time after a life-changing event. Russell had gotten himself patched up, introduced, and settled in with everyone else at this point. Comparing it to fitting into a new school really helped him get into the routine. Wake up, get dressed, eat, go to work, eat again, work some more, eat, shower, go to sleep. Just do that and follow the rules so everyone can be happy. It was that simple.

The population was roughly the size of a classroom, and field work was less tedious than homework considering the machines did most of the work. The human was merely a cog in the machine, pushing a button and correcting mistakes where needed. For example, Wesley, also known as 'The Plow', had the strength to turn and redirect the plows with one hand and carry a crying child with another. However, anyone with two hands could do it due to the machine's wheels being designed to quickly react to being turned.

Russell had an opportunity to sit down with the mechanic to discuss the details of these machines. His parents had been involved in their development after all. It was all that was left after... the incident.

"Really sorry for your loss," Talus had said while they were out in the fields, using the tractor repair as a chance to talk privately. "I did get to meet them at college actually. They seemed like nice folks. They won't go unmissed, I'll tell ya that."

"You went to college for this?" Russell asked.

"Yep. Just a trade school though. Figured that was enough to know the basics and pick up from there. Sadly, the big corpos want a bachelor's for some reason, so I opened my own shop instead. Wench, please."

"I see," Russell replied while handing him the wench. Meanwhile, Talus's actual assistant was busy being chased by John and Jermaine with water guns over yonder. Angelica wasn't too far behind the giggling trio, yelling about getting everything wet.

"I could get ya into a school too, if ya want," Talus said. "That's what I'm doing with Ceri. The more hands, the better, honestly."

Russell fell silent for a moment, hesitating to answer. "Um... I don't know. I'll think about it."

Talus groaned as he sat up and dusted himself off. "No problem, kid. I get it. Anythin' else ya wanted to know?"

"How did they make the machines so simple yet efficient? I think that's the crazy part." Russell glanced over at the other group, who had stopped running after getting soaking wet. "When I saw Jermaine pushing a seeder all by himself, I couldn't believe it. You would think it'd be too heavy or too dangerous to use."

Talus chuckled and lit up a cigarette. "That's 'cause it is crazy. However, when ya build somethin', ya gotta think about your audience and who can use it. Back in my day, we used to get these weird commercials for stuff you'd think you wouldn't need like clappin' the lights off. Turns out they were for old and disabled folks who couldn't move around much."

Talus paused to smoke, turning away from Russell to blow it opposite from him, then continued, "So the techs factored in optimal, lightweight materials and self-learning A.I. systems so people who lack physical ability or education could do it. After The Great Famine, they had to get the machines into as many hands as possible. They don't need to know the details, only that it works." He patted the hood of the tractor. "If they saw all the machinery that went into these things, their heads would explode! All of that is hidden away so no one gets hurt. The surface is made to be safe for everyone, hence why kids can do it too."

"You have a very important job then keeping it together," Russell said.

"You bet I do! That's why my job is becoming ever more popular. It's a guaranteed job even if you go independent. There's no competition because the demand is that high."

Winona came in to pick up her brother, ignoring how wet he was as she walked over towards Talus and Russell.

"I guess we can leave it there," Russell said. "Thanks again, Mr. Hephman."

Talus grinned and playfully patted Russell's back. "Like I said, it's no problem. Go get 'er, tiger."

Russell rolled his eyes and ignored the teasing, instead going to meet Winona halfway.

"Hey, Russell!" Winona greeted cheerfully. "The older kids are having a campfire tonight at nine behind the cafeteria. Did you want to come join us?"

"Yeah, sure," Russell casually replied while putting his hands in his pockets. "Always good to get to know everyone, right?"

"Well, duh. Melinda's really happy to see how good you're doing, but you two haven't talked much since you left the hospital, right? Now's a good time to catch up!"

Russell nodded in agreement. If he was going to make more friends than just Chaz, or even avoid making enemies, something like a campfire session seemed like a good idea.

---

The heat from the fire pit was warm, bright, and inviting in the freezing darkness of night. Everyone was huddled around it in a circle, wrapped in blankets, and passing along plates and food to build their own smores. The group was mainly teenagers aside from Freddie, who was allowed to stay up past bedtime with Dennis watching him. Nina kept the cooking materials behind her seat, while Wesley had the sand bucket. 

For what should have been a fun exchange, Russell noticed how quiet and somber the atmosphere was. It was as if any joy or merriment had gone to sleep alongside the younger children. Even the chocolate was bittersweet.

To Russell's surprise, Ayako had taken a seat to his right. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since their awkward first meeting. Chaz was his left hand man as usual, yet he was preoccupied with chatting with Wesley over sports.

"How are you liking your clothes?" Ayako asked.

Russell looked down at his orange tunic, dyed and sewn to match his preferences, then answered, "Yeah, they're good. Very comfy."

"Good, good..." Ayako fumbled around with the smore on her plate, her fingers trying to carefully navigate around the gooey mass. She scowled when a melted piece of chocolate got on her hand and groaned. "Ugh! Nina! Why did you think this was a good idea? I hate this!"

"You could ask for a napkin like a normal person," Nina spat back, passing the object in question over to Ayako through a chain of people.

"It's still too hot!" Ayako said while wiping her hand. "I can't burn my hands. It'll make my work harder."

Nina sighed. "That's why you have to be careful. Give it a minute."

"Give it a minute, she says," Ayako scoffed. "We should have gone with my idea. It would have been much better."

"Oh, THAT'S what this is about. It's not my fault your boring cracker idea lost to mine."

"They're honeycombs! It's not boring if you do it right."

"Ladies, please," Chaz butted in. "We can pick something else next time."

"Chaz is right," Melinda added. "If you don't want the smore, then you don't have to eat it. I have some candy in my pocket, if you want."

"No, thank you," Ayako said more calmly, starting to settle down. Nina simply crossed her arms with a huff and ended it there.

Chaz leaned closer to Russell and whispered, "Don't worry 'bout them. They only hate each other right now 'cause they both like to have it their way. They'll be best buds next time they get to do someone's birthday party."

Russell nodded, understanding the situation. Hoping to cheer Ayako up, he turned to her and said, "Say... is the honeycomb called 'dalgona'? I think I saw it on a tv show."

Ayako's eyes lit back up from this. "Yes, it is. I had an uncle from Korea who would bring me some when I was younger. I searched for the recipe so I could make it myself."

"Wow, that's cool! Do you make your own shapes too?"

"Why yes, I do," Ayako proudly stated with a small smile. "Anything from planes to hearts. The trick is to make a shape that has enough structure to stay together after it's broken apart."

Russell smiled back. "Dang, I'll have to see that sometime."

"Hey, it's used for other stuff too, right?" Wesley asked. "I think I remember people using it for coffee."

"Yeah, the creamy stuff!" Chaz said.

"Dalgona coffee," Melinda said, then adjusted her glasses. "I remember reading about it. It was popular in cafes for some time. It's whipped with coffee powder and sugar, but it doesn't actually have honey in it. It's just named after its appearance."

"Yo, I wanna try that!" Dennis said.

"M-Me too!" Freddie said while wiping chocolate off his mouth.

"Maybe give it another year before you two start having coffee," Winona said.

The veil had been lifted, and the teens were able to have a lively conversation with each other about food. The trends they knew and had tried for themselves, their favorite places they used to go to, and any dishes they wanted to try out in the future. This was more of what Russell had been hoping for. A nice, relaxing campfire with teens laughing and joking around.

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise cut through the discussion. Russell's heart stopped. He clutched his head as images of explosions flooded his mind, the fire from the pit dancing with the screaming, tortured souls of the dead. They're screaming at him. They despise him for living.

It's hot. It's too hot! The sun won't stop burning him. MAKE IT STOP-

"RUSSELL!"

Russell gasped for air, panting heavily as he grounded himself back to reality. Chaz had been the one who had been trying to pull him out of his thoughts this entire time, trying to save him for drowning in them. However, it wasn't until now he could even hear him, and even after hearing his name, there was still a deafening buzz ringing in his ears.

"Oh, god! I'm so sorry!" Winona said in a panic, nearly dropping the buzzer in her pocket before turning it off. "That's Jermaine's alarm! I didn't know... I have to go!"

Winona swiftly ran off after that, leaving everyone else behind. The veil over them returned, thicker and heavier than before. After several minutes, Russell was able to drink some water and regain himself.

"Ah... sorry," Russell said weakly, his throat feeling hoarse. Was that screaming actually his? "I shouldn't be freaking out like that."

"No, seriously, man. It's cool," Chaz said, his hand supporting Russell's back. "I had somethin' similar happen one time when someone honked the jeep horn. Reminded me of the bus..."

"Bad memories can be scary," Nina said, then lifted up one of her robotic arms. "Even with this, I still have nightmares where my arms are being crushed. How I couldn't pull my sister up in time before the ceiling fell on top of her. That kind of pain never goes away. It sticks with you."

"Now I feel foolish about earlier," Ayako said as she gazed down at her own hands. "I'm sorry."

Nina gave her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about it."

"Hey, I feel it too!" Dennis said, pointing to his eyepatch. "Shot right in the eye! Hurts like hell sometimes even though it was forever ago!"

"Y-You still get scared around guns 'cause of that," Freddie said.

Dennis averted his gaze and huffed. "N-No, I don't! I'm totally over it!"

"Okay, guys. I get it," Russell said with a tiny laugh. "Thanks."

Everyone grinned, happy to see Russell doing better, then resumed eating their smores in peaceful silence. Winona didn't return that night, but she would make an apology in the morning. What strange scars they shared.