Ashen Winter (Ashfall)

scrubbing. The second tub was the rinse water. They were scrubbing the clothing with a serrated wooden stick, wringing it out by hand, and hanging it on a line strung near the fire to dry. It reminded me of how back at Uncle Paul’s farm, we’d found an old-time washboard someone had been using as a percussion instrument before the volcano. And we wrung out our clothes with a machine Darla built—you pushed down on a lever, and it used a series of gears to amplify the force—clothes came out of that wringer almost dry.
    My hand was in my pocket—I realized I’d been running my fingers over the chain I’d given Darla. I looked around again, desperate for a way out. There were no windows, but high on each gable a big metal fan was set into the wall. Maybe I could pry the cover off one of the fans and slide through the unmoving blades. But to do that, I’d have to climb up into the network of metal trusses that supported the roof. I might be able to get up there by standing on the roof of the minivan and jumping, but I’d be completely exposed.
    I checked on Brick. He looked asleep—or maybe dead. But when I put my hand against his nose, I could feel him breathing. I’d kept him awake most of the night—hopefully he’d sleep quietly for a while.
    The card game got boisterous. The women were yelling back and forth to each other, too, so I couldn’t make out what any of them were saying in the general hubbub. But at least the din would cover any noise Brick or I made.
    The women had just started their fourth tub of laundry when one of the men facing the shed’s door shouted, “Ace’s back.” They laid down their cards and jumped up to heave on the sliding metal doors, opening them wider. A blast of frigid air blew in, shuffling up some of the cards and eliciting howls of protest from the men.
    The cloth-topped truck started backing into the shed alongside the fire. The women rushed to move their clotheslines.
    When the truck was fully inside, two men hopped out of the cab. The guys instantly crowded around the driver, clasping his forearm and bumping his shoulder in greeting. When the clamor of hellos died down, I heard one of them say, “Yo, Ace, what’d Danny give you for them skanks?”
    “You won’t believe me unless I show you.” Ace strutted to the back of the truck, untied the canvas flap, and pulled it away with a theatrical flourish. “Reinforcements!”
    Burly guys in heavy camo jackets and balaclavas started pouring out of the back of the truck—twelve of them in all.
    “We’re going to own Worthington now!” Ace shouted. Raucous cheers echoed through the shed in response. It was getting crowded. If one of them moved a few more feet in my direction, I’d be spotted for sure. I ducked into the deeper darkness behind the minivan.
    Would twelve more men be enough to overwhelm Worthington’s icy walls? I wasn’t sure. But I needed to warn them. I wasn’t too happy with Mayor Kenda, but I owed Rita Mae big time. A warning was the least I could do to repay them. But I had to find Darla—fast. And reach my parents at the refugee camp in Maquoketa. It all seemed so overwhelming; I swallowed hard, gritting my teeth. First things first: Focus on getting out of this shed alive.
    I thought about what one of the gang members had said. They’d traded “skanks” to Danny for reinforcements. Hearing them refer to Darla as a skank was infuriating, but it also brought hope. I’d rather hear them calling her a skank than a carcass.
    A clunk of wood striking wood interrupted my thoughts. It was followed by a steady stream of sliding noises, more clunks, and the hard exhalations of men at work. When those noises ended, there was a squeal—nails ripping free of wood. Someone yelled, “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” and I risked a glance around the minivan’s bumper.
    A huge pile of crude wooden crates had sprouted by the back of the truck. The lid had been pried off the top crate, and Ace stood beside it, his arms upraised as if in victory. One hand held a crowbar, the other an assault rifle.
    “No peckin’ way Danny gave you all those for a little vee jay,” someone said.
    “Course not,” Ace replied. “They’re short on supplies at Grandma’s. I’m headed back now to take them our meat and some truck parts.”
    “What the—”
    “Just shut up right there. We’ll be in Worthington by this time tomorrow. Dining at the all-you-can-eat long pork buffet. So load it