Deciding the girl needed a distraction, Caleb packed her pistol, along with the one that he had purchased for himself, into one of the saddlebags on his bike for a Saturday outing. Carrying a few boxes of shells, he announced, “It’s time!”
“Time for what?” she answered in the typical, dejected tone she used as of late.
“I’m taking you to the gun range. It’s time you learned to use your gift,” he smiled, hoping to draw her in.
Glaring at him with hollow eyes, she briefly wondered if she should be afraid something was wrong, but then recalled he had given her the weapon before the country had started to descend into chaos. “Alright, I guess I can do that.” Donning her coat, she pulled on her gloves and mentally prepared herself for the ride to the range.
Arriving at the open air facility outside of town, Caleb used his code to enter the gate. Pulling up next to the row of covered tables, he slid off the bike and turned slowly, looking the place over and finding it deserted. “I guess no one likes t’ shoot in the cold. I figured there’d be other people here.”
“Bunch of pansies around here,” she flickered a tiny grin, “They don’t like to do anything in the cold, and it’s not even freezing yet.”
“Yeah, I get that,” he agreed. “Ok, little bit. Le’s see what you can do with this thing.”
Filling the clip, he inserted it into the gun. Directing her where to stand, his hand wafted at the metal bars that held a variety of metal targets, all in the shapes of miniature animals and set at various distances. “Hold it in your hands, like we practiced. Then give the trigger a slow, steady squeeze, until it fires. An’ most importantly, never point a gun at someone you don’ intend t’ shoot.” He wafted a hand at the targets, “An’ o’ course, when you do… shoot t’ kill.”
“Yes, I remember,” she thought about the lessons he had given her at the house before they made the ride out. Holding up the pistol, she stared down the sights and slowly squeezed, her heart leaping out of control when the bang occured, with her hands jerking wildly at the same time.
“Nice,” he praised her, “You still hit the little target, but you need to work on holdin’ the gun still. You know it’s gonna recoil, so put the effort into keepin’ it steady, in case you have t’ shoot more than once.”
Taking his advice to heart, she continued to pling the tiny targets closest to her. When they were all gone, she moved to the next row, even filling the clip for herself when it had been emptied. “Am I doing any better?”
“You’re doin’ fine,” he had moved behind her to get a better feel for her point of view, and his hands lightly rested on her hips in front of him.
Firing three more shots, they did not land anywhere near her targets, and she whined slightly, “Caleb… you’re distracting me.”
“Whaddaya mean, distracting you?”
“I mean exactly that,” she shifted so that his hands slid around to her back and belly, “I’m not used to people touching me,” she grimaced. “It’s throwing off my shot.”
“Oh,” he grinned widely. “I’ll step away then,” and he put a few feet between them. “Is this far enough?”
Shaking her head, she returned to her practice, going for targets further away. Continuing, she could only hit about half at the twenty foot range, and Caleb waved her off, “I think tha’s good enough, little bit. You got a feel for it, an’ we need t’ save up more ammo before we spend any more of it on practice.”
“Is it really that hard to get?”
“Yeah,” his brow furrowed. “I think there’s quite a few of us here locally tryin’ t’ stock up, so every delivery that comes in gets bought out as soon as it arrives.”
“Wow,” she handed him the pistol. “Are you going to show me how to clean it?”
He grinned at her approvingly, “Sure. Soon as we get home, I’ll take you through th’ process.”
Putting their gear away and climbing back on his bike, the couple made the trek home, Bailey feeling an odd sense of pride at her accomplishment that day. I don’t know what my parents were so afraid of… shooting is actually pretty easy, and someday knowing how might come in handy. Holding him snugly while they rode, her thoughts churned, wondering what else her best friend had to teach her.
Things rocked on, and by the end of the next week, it finally began to feel like winter in west Texas. Bailey walked beside Caleb, headed towards their apartment, a few minutes after midnight. He had been hanging out at the shop as usual, ready to share the short jaunt home with her at the end of her shift. At the light, he unexpectedly reached to take her hand, “Hey, little bit.” His breath frosted, and he gave her digits a squeeze through her glove, “Are you doin’ ok?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” she allowed him to hold her, guiding her across the patches of ice that had formed on the sidewalk, despite the preventative sand scattered across it.
“I dunno,” he jokingly replied, “Maybe that huge ice storm that’s been hangin’ around.” He grinned at her, noting the lines crinkling her features, “I’m worried about you. You seem t’ be taking all o’ this really hard. The country’s faced worse,” he released her hand, moving it to her back while she gripped the rail and climbed the stairs.
“I know,” she sighed the words, “But things are different now. Did you know we are no longer serving chicken strips at the store? Guess why.”
“I don’t have a clue,” he chuckled, “So, tell me why.”
“Because all the ice up north has disrupted the freight lines, so there weren’t any on the last two trucks,” she replied crisply, removing her jacket and other gear, hanging them on the stand. “I’m off tomorrow night, by the way, are you working tomorrow?”
“No,” he hung his own jacket, “It’s too cold for pourin’ concrete, so it may be a week or two before I’m doin’ anything but hangin’ out.” His eyes darted around the small living room. “We should do some serious shopping in the morning. I mean, stock the cabinets an’ freezer as full as we can.”
“Why would we do that?” her eyes grew wide, certain she knew the answer.
“It’s only a precaution,” he smiled. “Better t’ be safe, right?”
“If we really wanted to be safe, we would get the hell out of here.”
“Whadda you mean?” he demanded, feeling as if she had knocked the wind out of him.
“My grandparents don’t answer the phone, Caleb. They haven’t since before the storm moved in. We’re getting fewer and fewer things at the store, because our supply lines are compromised. That little ice storm has lasted three solid weeks, and there’s no end in sight.” She inhaled deeply, having thought about this for days, “I’m not saying they’re right. But maybe we should pack up and head south.”
The man glared at her for several seconds, allowing her words to sink in, “I think you’re overreacting. We’ll go in the morning an’ stock up on necessities. If things aren’t looking up by the first o’ February,” he paused, not sure he wanted to commit to a date, “Yeah, we’ll talk about it if things don’ seem better by then. Besides, if you leave, you don’ get your credit for th’ year. An’ that’s the whole reason we’re here, remember?”
Puckering her lips, the girl knew he was right. However, getting credit seemed pretty low on her list of priorities when their lives were at stake. “Fine, we’ll do some shopping after my training.” Leaving him where he stood, she made her way down the hall, closing her door a little more loudly than necessary behind her.
Stretching out on her bed, she stared at her trembling digits, flexing them into fists slowly. What the hell is wrong with me? she reflected to herself. He’s right; maybe I am making too much out of this. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, focused on relaxing and trying to get some much needed sleep.
The following morning, the pair hit the gym, then had their breakfast. As soon as the dishes were loaded, they climbed onto his bike and made for the H-E-B located a few blocks down from their apartment. The parking lot teamed
with traffic as usual, and he slid the bike into one of the narrow spaces labeled compact car.
“Watch the ice,” he grabbed her arm, noting the gloss on the black surface.
“I see it,” she gripped him, leaning towards him as they scooted their way inside. “I guess winter has finally come to Texas.”
Moving through the sliding glass, he caught the end of a shopping cart, pulling it along behind them. “We may have t’ make two trips.”
“Naw, I got my bus pass,” she answered calmly, “We can load it all on there, and I’ll meet you at the house.” She wore a small smile, glad that they were at least doing something productive.
A few aisles later, her grimace had returned. Fighting their way between the laden carts, the noise level in the store seemed exaggerated, and she mumbled, “Seems like we’re not the only ones wanting to get stocked up.”
“Yeah,” Caleb bobbed his golden spikes in agreement, “We’re not the only ones,” he scowled, wondering if she had been right about getting out of town. The shelves appeared light, with quite a few products completely wiped. “If you’re takin’ the bus, le’s get some boxed goods. You know, pasta an’ stuff. It keeps for months, an’ we got tons o’ cabinet space open.”
Cutting her eyes over at him, the suggestion did not make her feel any more comfortable. “What about canned goods?”
“Sure, we can do that, too,” he agreed.
Loading up the basket as high as they could, they finally made their way to the front, where the lines were four and five carts deep, end to end. “Wow, these guys are really raking it in,” she observed.
“Yeah,” Caleb exhaled his agreement, his eyes darting warily about them. “Reminds me of the day before Thanksgiving, t’ be honest.”
Almost an hour later, they wheeled the cart filled with plastic bags out the front of the store. “Where does the bus stop, I wonder,” he shaded his eyes as he swung his gaze around, noting the drizzle that had started to fall, coating everything with a thin sheet of ice while they were inside.
“Over there, across the street,” she pointed, trying to ease the cart that way.
Using half of the bar, he helped her, getting across in the traffic turning out to be the biggest challenge. Taking their time, they pushed the cart to the light and doubled back on the other side to be safe. When they finally arrived at the glass cubicle, he slid his arms around her, aware of her shivers. Holding her tightly against his larger frame with his back to the opening to block the wind further, he frowned “How long?”
“One an hour,” she indicated the sign, “We’re in luck, and it should be here any minute. Any slower, and we’d be waiting another hour.”
“Man, this sucks. Pete shoulda gotten you a car,” he complained in a low tone.
“I think he was afraid of the traffic,” she made the excuse, not caring to voice the real reason she figured the choice had been made.
“Anyways,” he scowled, and indicated the large transport ambling towards them, “Le’s get all this on board, an’ I’ll meet you at the bus stop to unload it. How long between here an’ there, do you think?”
“About twenty minutes, in good weather,” she agreed, sliding into the seat after they were loaded. “I’ll see you there.”
Close to Home
Having their kitchen fully stocked, the couple relaxed into the evening, as the girl seemed to have calmed down a bit after their morning adventure. “Le’s watch a movie tonight,” Caleb offered. “You know; take our minds off o’ the real stuff for a while.”
“Sure,” she reluctantly agreed, “But I want to check on the boys first.” Making her way into their room, she pulled up the connection and flipped through her uncle’s latest posts. She noted that the weather seemed to be above freezing in the little community, and she recalled that Caleb had told her he had only seen snow there twice in his lifetime.
Noting that the tall blond leaned on the door frame, observing her, she smiled, “They’re pretty safe there, aren’t they?”
“Well, that’s why that location was chosen. Pretty isolated, which means most o’ what threatens other places can’t quite reach them.” He moved in closer, perching on the bunk next to her. “That’s a nice lookin’ little pony,” he observed the boys grooming their little Star.
Flipping over to his page, Bailey noted that Amanda had tagged him in another pic of her huge belly, captioned Any Day Now. “She shouldn’a done that. She’s practically makin’ my case for me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the girl next to him clicked her own profile to remove the eyesore, and opened her mailbox. Noting that her grandmother never had responded to her message, months old now, she emitted a small sigh.
“It means, if she’s havin’ that kid any day now, there’s no way it could be mine, even if I had slept with her. Nine months ago, I was here, spyin’ on you.”
Her jaw dropped slightly, her auburn hair shimmered when she raised her chin to stare at him. She asked in a hushed tone, “So, no one else has noticed the discrepancy?”
“I’m tellin’ you, it’s a game. Somehow, they’re manipulatin’ this. Either that, or she really thinks they’ll believe her over me. O’ course, if that was her plan, she should be claimin’ the baby’s not due for at least another month. That’d mean it coulda been mine, since we were back at The Ranch in June.”
“I don’t know, Caleb,” she shook her locks again, “It all sounds fishy to me. But for the record, I believe you,” she reached over, laying her hand lightly over his.
“Since when?” he replied in surprise, her gesture putting him on edge.
“Since,” she paused, removing her appendage, and placing it on the mouse, “I discovered this,” she flipped to the picture she had come across that one of the other girls had posted. It was an older one, lost in the files from days gone by, showing Amanda and Luis in quite the comfy position. She faced the man, her arms around his neck, while Don had an arm around her, sandwiching the girl between them. “Quite the little trollop, isn’t she,” she said quietly to herself.
“Yeah. Only I didn’t know. Not for a long time,” he stared at the screen, not aware that the picture had ever existed. “I guess I was the last one t’ find out.” Cutting his eyes over at her clear, green orbs, he smiled, “It’s ok, though. I figured it out, an’ her little game ain’t gonna get her anywhere. Now, how about that movie?”
In silent agreement, Bailey closed out the page and shut down the machine. “Find us something fun, maybe on the pay per view, and I’ll make us dinner.”
Sitting down to small steaks at the table a short time later, he grinned, “Have I tol’ you what a good cook you are?”
“Yes,” she replied, “Quite a few times, actually,” but she smiled that it pleased him. “What movie did we get?”
“The Lone Ranger,” his eyes danced. “I heard it wasn’t very good, but I wanna give it a try.”
“You nut,” she chuckled, happy in the moment she could share with him, allowing it to lift her spirits after the disheartening post on his page.
A couple of hours later, the show came to an end, and they both laughed at the crazy flick. “Well, I won’t say it was good; but it wasn’t bad, either,” he chortled.
Bailey agreed, turning the channel over to catch the local news at ten. A few minutes later, they both sat, eyes glued to the screen in horror. “Authorities say that the outbreak has been contained, but so far, over one hundred cases have been confirmed. Whether or not classes will resume on Monday remains to be seen.”
“Holy shit,” Caleb breathed, realizing the anchor was talking about one of the junior high schools in Odessa, “That’s pretty fucking close to home!”
“Yes, it is,” the girl agreed, suddenly too restless to sit still and snapping the bad news box off in disgust. “Caleb, I don’t like this. I don’t want to wait until February. I want you to take me to The Ranch now.”
Air caught in his lungs as he stared at her, “Ok,” then he
inhaled deeply, forcing the organs to work, “But it may be a few days before I can arrange it. I don’ wanna just show up with you. Not until we have some word that they’re not gonna do anything to you.”
“Fine,” she tossed crisply, “But we can’t stay here. I don’t want to be in the middle of all of this…” she wafted her hand around, indicating the crowded metropolis that lay beyond the walls of their domicile. “I’m not going to school Monday, either.”
“Now, wait,” he held up a hand, “They said everything had been contained, an’ there’s no reason to quit livin’ our lives, an’ bein’ normal – ”
“No way,” she cut him off, “Sure it’s contained, until it happens again. People are dying from that shit, and we are packed in here like sardines. Even going to the store, like we did today, could put us at risk. Not to mention going to sit in a bunch of classrooms with thirty or forty students in each one with me.”
“They have that many in your classes?” he asked in surprise.
“Don’t change the subject!” she exclaimed, “And yeah, every class has at least thirty kids in it, and we sit a foot or less apart, so if one of them brings it in, we’re all in a world of hurt. I can’t stand the thought of it,” she shuddered violently, while resisting the urge to wash her hands at that exact moment.
“Wow,” he breathed, reaching over to massage her knee, “I’m so sorry. I knew you were havin’ issues,” he gave her a squeeze, “But I didn’ realize it was this bad.” He stared at her, removing his hand, “I’ll call an’ talk t’ my dad, an’ your uncle if I need to; see what they say about it. If they won’ let us go down there, maybe we could hold up here for a week or two an’ see what comes of it.”
“Oh my God,” she clutched her hair, pulling it away from her face, “I can’t imagine being trapped in here for weeks, with nothing to do.” Glancing over at the blackened screen, her brow furrowed; “Watching a never ending deluge of doom and gloom isn’t any more appealing, either.”
“Ok, little bit,” he pulled out his phone, half hoping he would get their voice mail. “Go get a shower an’ try t’ calm down,” he instructed her, knowing listening to his end of the conversation wouldn’t help her in that department.
The Irrevocable Series Boxed Set Page 27
