Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone)

dead, we’d be in the dirt. So yeah, I expect we’re safe, to a degree anyway.”
    “But what about The Prophet, and all the weird cultish stuff? Doesn’t it bother you at all?”
    Will gave Mary an old man’s tired chuckle, friendly enough to say he cared, but with an edge of exhaustion that also said he was sick of being asked the same question in 35 different versions 35 times a day.  
    “Not sure what else to say,” he shook his head. “One man’s church is another man’s cult. Can’t say I care for it. And yeah, it bothers me, but not enough to do anything. It bothers me, all of it. But not as much as whatever’s on the other side of that wall, and not enough to leave. And even if it did, I probably wouldn’t. The dreams tell me to stay and I do what they tell me.”  
    Will crossed his arms across his chest. Mary thought he may as well have said harrumph .
    “How can you let a dream tell you what to do?”
      Will stared for a while, maybe a full 10 seconds before he said, “Dreams are how I found Luca, and what led me to you, right? Or am I missing something?”
    “All right,” she said. “I’ll buy the dreams, and whatever strings you let them pull. But why are you so damned vague about them?” Mary was surprised at her sudden welling anger, frothing forth from months worth of pent up frustration for Will and his obvious secrets and cranky grandpa muttering. “Why can’t you just tell us whatever it is you won’t tell us? Don’t you think we should know? Don’t you think we deserve to know?”
    Will’s voice softened against the intensity of Mary’s. “I know you’re nervous, Desmond, too. I get it, and I want everyone safe. I promise, no hesitation when it’s time to move on. We’ll leave the second it’s a good idea. But until then, I can’t say anything, and it’s not because I want to stay hushed. It’s because my dreams keep telling me to shut the hell up and I’m too smart to stay stupid. Every time I’ve been stupid enough to ignore what I’m told not to do, I’ve suffered. People I dreamed about suffered. So I have to sit tight and let things play out, and hope there’s a moment I can influence things in a positive way.”
      Will’s eyes grew big and held Mary’s. “Let’s presume for a moment that there is something out there. I’m not calling it God, just something that’s aware of us. And it’s watching me right now, has been for a while. Wants to make damn sure I don’t say anything I shouldn’t. It’ll punish us all if I speak. My next promise is that I won’t let that happen,” he smiled. “I’m not positive about the something that may or may not be God watching me thing, but the punishment part’s a guarantee. Trust me. I’ve tried to intervene before. It never ends well.”
    A door slammed behind them announcing the end of classes. Before Mary could respond, Scott and Luca started walking toward them. Luca was the first to speak, trying on a new version of a slower paced, deeper toned adult voice.
    “Hi,” he said. “What’s everyone talking about?”  
    “Hey Luca,” Will said, slapping him on the back. “Afternoon,” he nodded at Scott.  
    “We were just talking about Rebecca and Carl,” Mary said.
    “What about them?” Scott said.
    “Is everything okay?” Luca raised.  
    Will raised his eyebrows and Mary looked behind her. “They didn’t tell you?” he said. They both shook their heads.  
    Mary said, “Rebecca and Carl disappeared. No one knows where they went. John and Desmond left The Sanctuary to see if they could find them, and we’ve been searching here.” Will gestured toward Mary. “At least we were until Mary wanted an early lunch and a break from the garden.”
    “That’s my mom, always the slacker,” Paola said, approaching them. Since she wasn’t in classes yet (if Mary was even going to allow her to enroll), she was working laundry duty today, folding clothes for the residents of The Sanctuary. “What did I miss?” she asked, coming to stand beside her mom.  
    “I thought they’d asked everyone; nobody asked any of you?” Mary said bewildered. “Rebecca and Carl are gone, and no one knows where they went.” Paola’s face flashed with something Mary had seen a million times before, then her nose twitched. Paola knew something, and Mary needed to know. “Paola, dear, what do you know?”  
      “Um...well...I didn’t really think she would do it,” Paola said, shaking her head.