Serendipity ○ All 14

27. Marc

Marc was feeling chipper as he walked through town. His hands were shoved in his jean pockets, and his stride was accompanied by his signature slouch. The sun was poking out of the clouds, which Lawson told him was a treat he better take advantage of, because the rain was soon to come.

When Marc complained about the rain, Simon had snorted and told him that if he hated the rain so much, he should have chosen somewhere else to live outside of the Pacific Northwest.

The little fucker was blunt as could be, which he liked to whine about with his brothers, but truthfully, he respected it. All of Addie's friends were solid guys. They might have been a little wild, but they were the type of people you'd want to surround yourself with.

Marc decided that since the cold weather was coming quickly, he had something he could contribute to the survivors. Instead of sitting on his ass, he could take over the little coffee shop in town.

With Luke at his side baking different sweets, he figured that the survivors would have something to look foward to for the winter.

After the meeting, Marc was able to tell that not many of the townies were looking foward to the cold. It must be hard when you don't have a lot of supplies and resources to make it through. It would be alright, though. His family would make sure that none of them were left wanting for anything.

On the way to the old coffee shop, Luke and Nathan chattered his ears off. Luke was practically skipping, unable to control his energy. Marc and Nathan followed at a more sedate pace.

Nathan was dragging a heavy generator behind him to power the shop, and Marc and Luke were carrying backpacks filled with cleaning products.

Once they reached the shop doors, Marc pushed his way through and immediately crinkled his nose. It wasn't necessarily dirty, but he could tell it was abandoned due to the four years worth of dust over every surface. The air was stale, leading him to leave the door propped open.

It was a small space with booths lined up against the walls. The brown and green paint gave off a woodsy and comforting aura. Photography of local scenery hung on the walls, and dark light fixtures hung from the ceiling. The table tops looked like they were cut right off the trees with nothing but old dark stain added. The front register sat right next to the bakery case. Marc assumed that the door behind the register led to a small kitchen.

Excitment coursed through his body as he looked around. It would work. It was about time to have something to keep him busy.

"Did you let Teddy know about this?" Nathan asked skeptically, referring to starting up the bakery again.

Marc scoffed. "Of course I did. He said that it was a good idea."

"It's so weird having someone else in charge," Luke mused outloud, causing both Marc and Nathan to look at him confused. "Think about it. We usually go to Mr. B for that kind of stuff."

Well he wasn't wrong. It would take time to feel comfortable going to Teddy for questions and permission. Even though they still went to Axel and Owen for all things family related, Teddy was the one who had the trust of the survivors. He couldn't fathom how the town would be if there was no sort of order.

Marc went to check out the coffee machines and found himself impressed with the high quality equipment. "Teddy thinks we're going to try and steal his spot."

Nathan chuckled and ran a sheepish hand through his short red hair. "It's not our fault that the old ladies love us."

"It's not us he should be worried about," Luke said, uncharacteristically solemn. "His dad looks ready to take over the reigns."