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Lucy were staring openly in our direction.
    “Oh, fine. Fine. I’m could use a drink, though. I’m very thirsty.”
    Mom took the cue and walked over with one of our last store-bought bottles of water. Francine took it and drained it in one long drink. We all took turns looking at each other and shrugging in confusion.
    Mom took Francine by the elbow and said, “Francine, why don’t you come with me? I could use some help with supper.”
    “Alright. I’d be happy to help.” Francine accompanied Mom back to the tents and accepted another bottle of water from Lucy.
    “Well, if that ain’t the craziest thing...” George said.
    “Yeah, we were beginning to wonder how long she would last,” Dad remarked, rubbing his head.
    “Wait ‘til I tell Martha. Speaking of... I’d better head back. It’s almost dark.”
    “Ok, George. Thanks again, for everything. Let me know if you need anything from us.”
    “Will do, David. Be safe out here. See you boys later,” George said, nodding in our direction. He waved at the ladies, and swung himself up onto the tractor seat, stowing the cane in its holster with a practiced motion. The tractor clattered to life, and made a slow turn out into the field. George changed gears and chugged off to the northwest.
    We ate the canned spaghetti and meatballs, keeping a close eye on Francine as she shoveled noodles into her mouth. I was trying to decide exactly what kind of meat the balls were, and Kirk was working hard to stay awake. As soon as we were finished eating, all of the kids went to the tents and slid into sleeping bags. I was happy to go, even over the curiosity I was feeling about Francine. We heard her talking and talking into the night, as I collapsed into sleep at the end of another longest day of my life.
     
    Chapter 3 - 4
    Terry was lost in thought.
    Bill drained the last of his beer, and looked to the reddish-orange sun, sinking low over the trees down at Cathey Ridge.
    “She just woke up? Just like that?” Terry asked.
    “Just like that.”
    “Mr. Carroll was just about the best neighbor you could have had.”
    “Yes, indeed. He and my father were tight for a number of years. Just like father and son. It’s normal for me to think of George Carroll as my grandfather, too. He was a bigger part of my life than my true grandparents, but then, that’s not entirely fair since they died during the Breakdown, as far as we ever knew. Even today, there’s no real way to find out.” Bill said. “I went up to Nashville to look for my mother’s folks, about twenty years ago, but there wasn’t even a place to begin. My dad’s folks up in Louisville, Kentucky... Too far to even make the trip.”
    “Yeah, my grandfather talked about all the places people used to go, all the time. Seems like you could hop in the car and go farther to work every morning, than I’ve been in my whole life.” Terry said in support.
    “Hell, I remember we used to drive halfway across Nashville just to take Kirk to soccer practice. Maybe thirty miles, round trip.”
    “I’ve never even been thirty miles.”
    “Well, that will change, if you spend much time around here. We’ve scavenged across a third of the state.”
    “What’s it like out there?” Terry asked.
    “Mostly like here. Tin pot dictators running their own kingdoms without any real oversight, people always hungry, but scraping out a living working for the local lords. Some places are much better, kind of like us, usually very small communities that work together. We have contact with several of them and share back and forth. Some places though... Civilization is a distant memory. Up in Grundy County, on the mountain, it’s fallen back to hunter-gatherer, tribal warfare type stuff. Usually the winners eat the losers. It’s bad.” Bill replied.
    “That’s not very far away,” Terry said, astonishment on his face.
    “No, it’s not. Sometimes they really get desperate and raid down into Franklin County, but Franklin