Moving In

Posted on Tue Sep 8th, 2026 @ 10:49am by Pine Hollow Leader Amythyst & Department Leader Briar Maddox & Department Leader Jordana Venturi & Deputy Leader John ("Dodger") Smith & Deputy Leader George Brooks & Department Leader Hannah Reed & Department Leader Eliza Moore & Department Leader Leah Miller & Department Leader Elliot Pike & Senior Worker Phoebe Cates & Senior Worker Andrew Dornhoeffer & Worker Lincoln Moore & Team Leader Patrick Byrne & Team Leader Mateo Alvarez & Junior Worker Colin Chambers & Worker First Class Meredith Richmond & Worker First Class Paulina Cates & Skilled Worker Rowan Maddox & Skilled Worker Henry Karcher & Assistant Department Leader Austin Wilson & Assistant Department Leader Thomas Gallagher & Apprentice Michael Gardner

3,343 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Pine Hollow
Timeline: October 21st 2010 - From 6am - Midday

For the first time in weeks, nobody was packing to leave. That realization came to Amy while she stood in the middle of the broad lawn in front of the lodge. Five wagons and the livestock wagon had been drawn into a loose line. Cattle stood patiently in their harnesses while the goats complained from their temporary confinement. Chickens remained in their crates. Packs, barrels, sacks, tools, blankets and everything else twenty children had managed to carry across half the country seemed to be piled everywhere. Behind it all stood Pine Hollow. The lodge. The barns. The cabins. The workshops. The orchards and greenhouses. The lake. The mountains. Every team had returned. The lodge was clear. The barns were clear. The workshops were clear. The immediate property was clear. There were no walkers. No people. No bodies. Nothing waiting behind a door to attack them. Just an enormous, impossibly well-prepared refuge that Elena had somehow known existed. Amy looked down at the weathered journal in her hand. "We made it," she whispered.

Then a goat screamed from inside the livestock wagon. Amy closed her eyes. Patrick snorted. Austin laughed. Even Briar started giggling. Amy looked towards the wagon.
"Yes, alright! I know!" Another indignant bleat answered her. That broke whatever solemn moment had been trying to form. Suddenly everyone was laughing. Real laughter.

Not nervous laughter after escaping something. Not exhausted laughter around a campfire. Just twenty plus children standing in the middle of their new home while an irritated goat demanded breakfast. Amy tucked Elena's journal securely into her bag. "Okay!" she called. "We're moving in."

That earned a cheer. A real one. Some of the younger children immediately started towards the lodge. "WAIT!" Twenty plus sets of feet stopped.

Amy put both hands on her hips. "We are moving in. We're not stampeding the place."

Patrick grinned. "There goes my plan."

"Your plan was probably terrible."

"It was an excellent plan."

"It involved running, didn't it?"

"...Maybe."

Amy shook her head, although she was smiling. Then she looked around at everyone. They had learned how to break camp quickly. They knew how to load wagons. They knew how to hide. They knew how to run. Moving into an actual home? That was strangely unfamiliar. "We do this properly," Amy decided. "Animals first."

A few groans came from children who had clearly hoped that choosing bedrooms would be first.

"The animals have been hauling us for weeks," Amy reminded them. "They get settled before we do." That ended the complaints.

"Jordana, you cleared the livestock areas. Take whoever you need and start getting the paddocks ready. Water first. Then we'll unhitch the cattle."

Jordana nodded, "I'll ask around."

It shouldn't be too hard to do this. Being a city girl, the country life seemed alien. Walking towards the paddock, she placed her hands on the fence and looked around at the farm animals.

She looked towards the livestock wagon. "Goats after that." Another bleat. "Yes. You too." A couple of the younger children laughed. "The chickens go into the coop once somebody checks the doors and wire one more time. Brutus and Kira... and their puppies and the cats" Amy looked around. The two German Shepherds were lying in the grass. Actually lying there.
Neither was watching the forest. Neither was pacing. Brutus had his head resting between his paws while Kira was stretched out beside him in a patch of morning sunlight.

Amy stopped. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen either dog completely relaxed. "...can do whatever they want."

Patrick nodded solemnly. "They've earned it."

"They have."

Amy turned towards the supply wagons. "Our food goes into the lodge pantry, cold room and freezer once Briar and Dodger work out what is already there. Don't mix everything together until we've counted it."

Dodger nodded, "We'll get started on that right now." He replied as he headed for the pantry and quickly followed the cold room and freezer.

"We'll need lists." Briar said.

"I know."

"Lots of lists."

Amy gave her a look.

Briar smiled. "I like lists."

"Then today is your lucky day."

That left their equipment. "Tools don't come inside unless they belong inside. George, Thomas—you saw the workshops. Work out where our tools and repair supplies should go. Don't start playing with anything you found."

George nodded in understanding. "We also found a wesponsmith shack as well. I'll make sure the door is secured when we finish with the tools." He then climbed back aboard the wagon that carried most of their construction supplies, and got the cattle that was pulling it get moving.

After he had the wagon parked next to the workshops, he had two of the kids undo the cattle and take them back to be with the others, while he started to offload their various tools and building supplies, putting everything away in its own place.


Amy decided she didn't want to know. "Weapons stay together for now," she continued. "Nobody starts scattering them through bedrooms. We work out secure storage later."
That was important. Pine Hollow felt safe. Feeling safe and being careless were not the same thing. "Medical supplies go inside first. Then food. Then bedding and clothes. Everything else can wait." She paused. "Personal things..." That felt strange to say. Most of them didn't have many personal things anymore. "...you carry yourselves." Her gaze moved towards the lodge. "And then we work out sleeping arrangements." That caused immediate chatter.

"I want a room upstairs!"

"Can we share?"

"Are there bunk beds?"

"I saw the lake!"

"Can we have one of the cabins?"

"No cabins yet," Amy said immediately.

That drew disappointed noises. "We stay together in the lodge until we know Pine Hollow better. Nobody sleeps in the cabins, barns, ranger station or anywhere else by themselves."
Amy pointed firmly towards the wagons. "Everyone has a job. Let's go." And suddenly Pine Hollow came alive. Harness buckles were loosened. Children climbed onto wagons.
Crates were lifted. Doors opened. Voices carried across the valley. The cattle that had pulled them all this way were finally led towards open pasture. Old King and Shadow wandered after them with considerably less urgency, stopping to investigate grass that hadn't been trampled, burned or abandoned beside some road. The goats exploded from the livestock wagon as though they had been imprisoned for years instead of hours.

"GET THAT ONE!"

"I'VE GOT HER!"

"NO YOU DON'T!"

A goat shot between Patrick's legs. Patrick landed backside-first in the grass. Austin doubled over laughing. "Don't just stand there!"

"I'm trying!"

"You are literally doing nothing!"

"I'm providing moral support!"

The goat continued triumphantly towards the barn. For several minutes, moving into Pine Hollow looked considerably less like the foundation of a new civilization and considerably more like twenty children being defeated by livestock. Eventually order returned. Mostly. The cattle were unharnessed. Harnesses that had become almost permanent fixtures over the previous weeks were finally removed and carried towards storage. The animals were watered. The chickens discovered their new coop. The goats discovered absolutely everything.
Then came the wagons.

Briar stood inside the lodge directing supplies. "Food this way!"

Children carried sacks through the enormous kitchen. "Dry goods in the pantry!" Briar was already writing. "Don't put that there—I haven't counted it!"

Someone groaned. "Briar!"

"I need to know what we have!" Boxes were redirected.

Dodger had rotated stock in both the freezer and cold room and was now directing what went where as well as making sure Briar was writing in all down. Making doubly sure that the oldest meat and supplies were the first used.

Barrels rolled inside. Medical supplies disappeared into a room Amy had chosen near the main living area until they could decide whether Pine Hollow had somewhere better.

Blankets went upstairs. Clothing followed. One by one, the wagons began to empty. And with every load carried inside, something changed. Their possessions stopped being supplies for the road. Food wasn't being packed for tomorrow. Blankets weren't being rolled so they could leave quickly. Tools weren't being tied down. Nothing needed to be ready to move at dawn.
Amy carried one of the final boxes through the lodge doors herself. She stopped in the foyer. Children were everywhere. Footsteps thundered overhead.

Someone was arguing about bedrooms. Someone else was laughing. The kitchen was full of voices. A dog barked. A younger child ran past carrying a pillow almost as large as they were. For weeks, everything they owned had fitted into wagons. Now those things were spreading through a building. Becoming ordinary again. Amy slowly put the box down. Elena had called Pine Hollow a refuge. But Amy was beginning to understand that she'd meant something more than walls and hidden entrances. This place had been built for living.

Not merely surviving. "AMY!" She looked up. Patrick was leaning over the upstairs railing.

"What?"

"Are we allowed to pick rooms now?"

Amy looked around. The animals were secured. The important supplies were inside. The wagons were nearly empty. Everyone was safe.

She smiled. "Okay."

Patrick's face lit up. "But—"

"Oh, come on!"

"Nobody fights over rooms!"

There was an immediate stampede upstairs.

Amy stared after them.

"THAT MEANS NO RUNNING!"

The footsteps became marginally slower. She sighed. Amy looked through the open doors towards the valley. Their empty wagons stood on the lawn. For weeks, those wagons had meant survival. Tonight they would be empty. Tonight nobody would sleep beneath canvas. Nobody would keep boots beside them in case they had to run. Nobody would wake up wondering where they would be tomorrow. Amy reached into her bag and touched Elena's journal. Then she looked back into the lodge. Their lodge. "Welcome home," she whispered.

She heard fighting upstairs. Took a Breath and yelled "INFERNALS TO THE LIVING ROOM NOW!!!!"

George had just returned to the main cabin, when Amy screamed out to the group. He leaned against the front doorframe, as he watched the group come hurtling down the stairs.

When everyone was gathered Amy let her gaze sweep the group. Some lowered their gaze to the floor. "We are not rabble" She stated. "First floor. Children aged 6-9. Second floor Children aged 10 to 13. Third floor the oldest children." She paused and "Yes Rowan you can stay with Briar."

George glanced at the rest of the group, smiling softly to himself. Amythyst truly had become the beating heart of the group. He knew that she would lead them to a prosperous future. And he eould do evertlything in his power to help her.

As he thought about Amythyst, his eyes discreetly moved over her body. He stopped immediately when he realized that his thoughts had turned more....adult in their theme. He blushed as he looked away quickly, trying g not to garner any attention from the others.

Amy waved the Infernals off. Leah paused "Can I take a room on the first floor."

Amy nodded. "Yes easier for you."

Leah swung off with her crutches

tags Infernals.

Amy herself headed for the kitchen. They had traveled through the night to get here. None had eaten breakfast or lunch and from the sun in the sky it was closer to lunch than breakfast. She grabbed their own supplies and laid out their left over fruits, and the large bowl of left over stew they had made two mornings before which had kept. She heated it on one of the commercial stoves and then placed it beside bowls and their bread they had made the day before.
She then called up over the conversations. "FOOD In the dining room!" And then stood back for the horde.

George stood to the side, as the stampede came rushing by. Even though the leadership had changed since he joined the Infernals, the one rule that stayed constant was that that the youngest and weakest were served first, to ensure they had the best chance of building their strength.

Dodger found a chair and sat down. He was tired but it was a good tired. They had accomplished a great deal it was a total team effort. he just sat and watched as the younger kids rushed to get their food. A happy, content, tired smile on his face.

Jordana walked over to the sink and turned on the water. Wiping her forehead, she washed her hands and exhaled. Doing what she could, she readied herself for the next task at the barnyard. Turning off the water, she grabbed herself a cup of water and sat down to cool off.

Briar watched the younger children descend on the food with the sort of enthusiasm usually reserved for Christmas morning. "Slow down!" she called from beside the table. "There is enough for everyone." That did absolutely nothing.

"You're wasting your breath," Amy said as she came up beside her.

Briar glanced at her. "Probably."

A bowl was nearly knocked from the table. "HEY!" That worked. The culprit froze. Briar pointed at the tables. "Sit. Eat. Nobody has to fight for food anymore." The words slipped out before she really thought about them. For a moment, Briar went quiet. Nobody has to fight for food anymore. Hopefully. There was food here. Their food was stored properly. There were fields outside. An orchard. Greenhouses. Animals. A lake. They could grow things. Preserve things. Plan beyond how many meals remained in a wagon.

Briar shook herself from the thought and picked up another bowl. "Come on. Who hasn't got any?"

Amy moved around the dining room, making sure the youngest had been served before finally allowing the older children to begin helping themselves. It was an old rule, one they had never really needed to discuss. The little ones ate first. Then anyone injured or sick. Then everyone else. Only when she was satisfied everyone had something did Amy take a bowl for herself.

She sat heavily at one of the tables. Briar stared at her. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Briar."

"You look terrible."

Amy gave her a flat look. "Thank you."

"I meant tired."

"That really helped."

Briar grinned and sat opposite her. For several minutes, neither of them said much. They ate. Around them the dining room was filled with voices, spoons scraping bowls, chairs shifting and the occasional argument over bread. After weeks of eating beside roads, beneath trees, around campfires or crammed together wherever they could find shelter, sitting at an actual table felt almost ridiculously luxurious.

Amy found herself looking around the room. Nobody was standing guard. Nobody was eating with a weapon across their knees. Nobody was watching the road. And nobody had to pack any of this away when they finished. She lowered her spoon. "Okay."

Briar immediately looked suspicious. "Okay what?"

"We're done for today."

That got the attention of several people nearby. Patrick looked horrified. "What?"

"We're done," Amy repeated.

"But there's still stuff in the wagons."

"It'll still be there tomorrow."

That seemed to confuse him. Amy looked around the room. "We travelled most of the night. Then instead of sleeping, we searched this place and moved half our lives into it. Everyone is exhausted."

"I'm not," Austin announced.

Amy stared at him.

Austin reconsidered. "I'm... moderately exhausted."

"Thought so."

A few people laughed. Amy pushed herself upright. "So, once you've eaten, bowls and cups go back to the kitchen. Help clean up. After that, I want everyone to take the afternoon off."

That earned considerably more attention. "Off?" someone asked.

"Off," Amy confirmed.

Patrick narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?"

"There isn't one."

"There is always a catch."

"The catch is that I don't want twenty exhausted idiots falling off ladders, cutting themselves with tools or getting kicked by a cow because they're too tired to pay attention."

"That's a catch."

"Patrick."

He returned to his stew, Amy continued. "Go upstairs. Sort out your rooms. Shower. Read. Sleep. I don't care."

"Can we really sleep?" one of the younger children asked.

Something about the question hurt more than Amy expected. She softened. "Yeah," she said. "You can really sleep."

"Nobody's waking us up to leave?" The dining room quietened slightly.

Amy shook her head. "No." She glanced towards the windows and the sunlight spilling across the floor.

"We aren't leaving." That silence lasted another second before conversation slowly began again. Briar watched Amy, then looked around the table.

"And before anyone asks," Briar added, "sleep is optional."

Amy turned towards her.

Briar shrugged. "Some of them aren't going to sleep."

She wasn't wrong.

"Fine," Amy said. "If you don't want to sleep, stay around the lodge or help with something quiet. Nobody goes exploring. Nobody leaves Pine Hollow. Nobody goes wandering into the woods."

Patrick raised a hand.

"No."

"I didn't ask anything."

"You were going to."

"That's unfair."

"It's experience."

Briar laughed.

Amy looked towards her. "What are you doing?"

"The fields."

Amy frowned.

"And the orchard," Briar added.

"Briar."

"We need to know what's growing, what's dead, what's salvageable and what needs picking."

"Tomorrow."

Briar shook her head. "I'm not tired."

Amy raised an eyebrow.

Briar paused.

"Fine. I'm tired. But I'm not going to sleep."

That Amy could believe.

"And I'm not doing anything dangerous," Briar continued. "I'm walking through plants."

"Knowing you, you'll somehow make that dangerous."

"Probably."

Amy sighed. "Fine. Anyone who doesn't want to sleep can help Briar in the fields or orchard."

Briar immediately pointed her spoon at her.

"Help. Not destroy."

Amy nodded solemnly. "You heard her. Apparently there are rules about plants."

"There are lots of rules about plants."

"Of course there are."

"I can make a list."

Amy groaned.

Briar grinned. The last of the stew steadily disappeared. Bread was divided. Fruit was passed around until everyone had eaten their fill. Then, one by one, bowls began returning to the kitchen. Amy stood near the doorway as the younger children drifted upstairs. Some were already yawning. A few still had enough energy to argue about who was sleeping where. Rowan disappeared upstairs close beside Briar long enough to deposit the few things she had claimed as her own before coming back down.

Within twenty minutes, the lodge had changed.

It became quieter. Not silent. Pine Hollow would probably never be silent with this many children living in it. But quieter. Doors closed upstairs. Someone ran a bath. A dog wandered into the dining room looking hopefully for leftovers. Somewhere on the second floor someone laughed, only to be immediately shushed. Amy stepped outside.

Sunlight covered the valley. Their wagons remained on the lawn, partly unloaded. For once, Amy didn't care. They could wait. Tomorrow could wait. Briar emerged behind her carrying a notebook she'd found among their supplies. Amy stared at it. "You've already started a list."

"Two."

"Of course you have."

"Orchard and fields."

A few of the others who had decided they weren't tired enough to sleep began gathering nearby. Briar looked them over. "We're just checking things today," she warned. "No ripping anything out because you think it's a weed. No eating anything unless we know what it is. If you find fruit on the ground, don't throw it away. And don't climb the trees until we've checked the branches."

Patrick appeared in the doorway. "What if I'm really good at climbing trees?"

"No."

"What if—"

"No."

He sighed dramatically.

Amy smiled and stepped back towards the lodge. "Have fun."

Briar looked at her. "Where are you going?"

"To take my own advice."

That stopped Briar.

Amy glanced back towards the lodge. "I'm going to sleep." For perhaps the first time all day, nobody argued with her. Amy headed inside. Briar watched her go before turning towards the small group waiting for her.

She tucked the notebook beneath her arm and looked across the fields and orchard. For weeks, every job they had done had been about surviving long enough to reach tomorrow. This was different. This was about next week. Next month. Next year. Briar smiled. "Alright," she said. "Let's go see what we've got."

OFF

 

RSS Feed