by Randy Henson
Orin took a palm off the steering wheel and held it up in defense, and said, “I mean no offense. I just meant that I don’t see you walking up to people and striking up a conversation. You don’t seem very chatty, that’s all.”
Well, he had me there.
“I guess I’m not,” I admitted.
“And not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s probably smart. Sometimes I think I talk too much.”
“You may be onto something there.”
Orin laughed and said, “Ouch. Anyway, as we both will agree, I’m a chatty bastard and I’ve been to more compounds than you, so it only reasons that I’ve heard more news than you.”
“Or rumors.”
“Right, or rumors. I have no way of confirming anything I’ve heard other than going there myself. And that’s what I’m doing.”
“So what have you heard about Virginia?”
“They have a compound there that’s underground. It’s supposed to be the best one in the country. It has better food, better health care, and better facilities, better everything.”
“In Virginia? That doesn’t make sense,” I said.
“Sure it does. Think Washington D.C.,” he said.
“Oh, right,” I said. I suddenly felt like an idiot. “Wait, why are you hunting for a cure? Who do you have that’s infected?”
“Me.”
“What?”
“I’m a Category Two,” he said.
“Oh, in that case, pull over. I should be driving,” I said.
Orin smiled at me and said, “Hey, that was another joke. You’re on a roll.”
“And you’re full of crap.”
“No, seriously. I’m a Category Two. I wouldn’t lie about that. Not even in jest. And certainly not with your brother sitting there.”
Now he was making me mad.
“Then I guess you’re something really special. You’re the only Category Two with blue eyes and a mastery of the English language.”
Orin took a hand off the wheel and unzipped the fanny pack strapped to his waist. He pulled out an injection gun.
“I have medicine,” he said as he held up the injection gun. Then he returned it to the fanny pack and zipped it closed.
I sat there silent, not knowing what to believe. Why would this man help us, pretend to care what happened to us, and then tell me a cruel lie? But how was it possible? I may be a tad reticent, but I would have surely heard about a cure for The Plague. News such as that would’ve traveled like wildfire.
But if it were true…
“What are you thinking?” Orin asked me.
“You know what I’m thinking,” I said.
“Then ask,” he said.
“Okay, first of all, if you’re messing with me, then you’re being very cruel. And I’ll probably end up shooting you,” I started.
Orin laughed and said, “Agreed.”
“In that case, I’m sitting here wondering if that medicine of yours works on Category Threes,” I finished.
“I don’t know. But I’m willing to give it a try if you are.”
I turned from him and stared at the dash. It didn’t make sense. Why was he going to Virginia in search of more medicine if he had enough to share? Something wasn’t right. It didn’t make sense. I began to feel very uneasy.
“Wow, I thought you’d be happy. Or, at the very least, curious. But you look even more pissed off than before,” Orin said.
“Why?” I said.
“Why what?”
“Why would you be willing to share your medicine with us? Why would you just give it to us? Why have you given us anything? Why did you stop and give us a ride? Why did you give me the pistols back at The Compound? Who are we to you that you would do that? Can you not see why I’m so suspicious?”
Orin smiled at me and said, “Can’t a guy just do something for a pretty girl?”
God, he was infuriating.
“No, he can’t,” I said. “And don’t pull that crap on me.”
“What crap?”
“That schoolboy charm crap. That would be the same thing as me batting my eyelashes at you, touching you on the knee, and asking you to share your medicine with us. I’m not about to do that to you, so don’t you pull that crap on me.”
Orin lifted a palm from the wheel and held it up in a gesture of surrender, one of his more common gestures I was learning, and said, “Okay, no crap. I need your help, and I think I’ve proven I can be a help to you. I can continue to be a help to you.”
“How do you need my help? You appear resourceful,” I said.
Orin sighed and said, “Okay, about three weeks ago, before he died, my uncle gave me this medicine and told me there was more of it in Virginia. He told me to go there and find a Dr. Mitchell, that she would help me. Only I’m not sure I can make it there on my own. I think I’m building up a tolerance to the injections. And my body is getting weaker, too. I’m not sure what that’s all about. When I saw you shoot those guys this morning, when I saw how well you took care of your brother, I thought maybe we could help each other.”
Things still weren’t adding up.
“That doesn’t explain why you left me the pistols.”
“Oh, that. Well, I knew I was leaving, and I figured you might need them. Santos, the fella whose jaw you broke? He had buddies that were gunning for you. If you hadn’t left, you’d have needed those pistols. Actually, it turned out you needed those pistols anyway.”
I shook my head and said, “You’re still not answering my question. Why do you care?”
“I saw you and I liked you. I’m not giving you some kind of line here. And I’m not just talking about the way you look. I’m talking about the way you care for your brother and how you don’t let anyone push you around. Also, I was suspicious about how often you were being pushed around.”
“What do you mean how often?” I asked.
“It just seemed to me like guys kept trying you for no reason, like they wanted to see how you would react. No offense, but there were plenty of woman at The Compound just as pretty as you, showing a whole lot more skin than you, and they weren’t getting harassed half as much as you were. You haven’t thought about this?”
“No,” I admitted.
But I was thinking about it now, and he was right. Every time I turned around, some jerk was getting in my face over nothing. Just petty stuff. Really petty considering we were all facing Armageddon.
“Plus, I didn’t need the pistols. I only have two hands,” Orin said as he leaned forward, hugged the steering wheel, and pulled up the back of his shirt to reveal two pistols tucked in the waistband of his jeans. He then lowered his shirt and leaned back against the seat. “I do admit I miss the gun belt. But I think it fits you better, though. It kept slipping down on me.”
“Are you saying I have big hips?”
“I’m saying you have hips.”
“Well, thank you. For the pistols and the belt I mean. For everything. If you’re being square with me, then I thank you.”
There, I said it. I even said it twice.
“You’re welcome.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Lieutenant Hale was driving the jeep and Colonel Lundy was riding shotgun. Dr. Nichols rode alone in the backseat on the driver’s side.
The CB radio under the dash crackled and a voice said, “Colonel Lundy, we have an update, sir.”
Colonel Lundy rolled his eyes as he reached for the CB’s handheld. He brought the handheld to his mouth, pressed the button, and said, “Who is this? Over.”
“Sergeant Rogers, sir.”
“Speak, Sergeant. Over,” Lundy said.
“I just got word from Command. We just received an updated report. The girl was just spotted at a galleria just outside Columbia, sir. Over,” Rogers reported.
Colonel Lundy rolled his eyes again. Every time he turned around he found evidence that his soldiers were becoming lax and forgetting their training.
“What’s she doin
g in South America? How did she get there so fast, Sergeant? She was just in a truck. Has she commandeered an aircraft, Sergeant? Over,” Lundy said.
Lieutenant Hale laughed and Colonel Lundy looked over at him.
“Sorry, sir,” Hale apologized.
“Quite all right, Lieutenant,” Lundy said.
The radio crackled and then Sergeant Rogers said, “Columbia, South Carolina, sir.”
“Well, that does make more sense. I want you to be more succinct and precise in your reporting from now on, Sergeant. Over.” Lundy scolded.
“You want me to suck more what, sir? Over,” Rogers asked.
Lieutenant Hale tried to muffle his laughter as Colonel Lundy closed his eyes and shook his head. Lundy was at his wits end. He couldn’t even tell anymore when his soldiers were being insubordinate or just plain stupid.
Lundy mashed the button on the CB’s handheld and said, “Clarity, Sergeant. I’m asking you to be clearer and more to the point with your reports. Over.”
“Yes, sir. I will. Over.”
Then Lundy looked over at Hale and said, “We’re all doomed, Lieutenant.”
Lieutenant Hale frowned and said, “We’ll make it through, sir.”
But Hale, too, had his doubts.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I saw a shopping mall coming up on our right and I pointed.
“Take this exit,” I said.
Orin steered the truck into the far right lane and asked, “Why here?”
“That mall. We can get supplies and change vehicles. And I think we all could use a shower and a change of clothes. It’s starting to smell like onion in here,” I explained.
Orin looked at me and said, “We haven’t passed any vehicles in two hours. I don’t think switching vehicles is going to throw them off our trail. We’re going to stick out like a sore thumb no matter what we drive.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of comfort and dependability, rather than evasion,” I explained.
Orin looked back out the windshield, nodded, and said, “Oh, right.”
We rolled into the mall’s giant parking lot. We definitely had our choice of vehicles. It was as if everyone had just vanished during a Saturday afternoon. The parking lot was packed.
Orin slowed the pickup and scanned the rows of cars.
I watched him for a moment and then said, “Please, tell me you’re not hunting for a parking space.”
He looked at me and said, “I’m looking for something big and comfortable, but easy on gas. I’m thinking one of those hybrid SUVs.”
I shook my head, pointed out the windshield, and said, “We can do that later. Just park up front, at the entrance.”
Orin smirked and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
Then he sped up and headed for the main entrance.
We parked right up on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance and got out, me crawling over Jack, unlocking and opening the door for him.
Jack climbed out and looked around. He stared at the huge shopping complex as if he was looking at a dinosaur. I guess, in a sad sense, he was.
Orin strapped his rifle over and under his shoulders. Then he scanned the storefronts, clapped his hands, rubbed them together, and said, “Where to first? I could go for some java.” Then he turned to me and asked, “You drink coffee?”
“By the bucketful,” I said as I grabbed Jack’s right hand with my left while I drew my right-side pistol. “But this isn’t going to be your typical weekend shopping trip, so keep your eyes open. We don’t know what’s waiting for us in here.”
Orin smiled, drew one of his pistols from the back of his jeans, and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
Then we entered through the main entrance.
“Well, the doors weren’t locked or barred from the inside. That’s a good sign,” Orin said.
The mall looked completely stocked and completely deserted. Somehow, something didn’t feel right. Something was wrong.
“I don’t smell anything,” I said.
Orin frowned and said, “Yeah, you’re right. All the cars outside, I would think it would stink in here.”
“Stink, stink,” Jack said.
“Keep your eyes peeled and be careful,” I said.
“Really? I thought I’d shut my eyes and try running,” Orin said.
I glared over at him and frowned.
“Sorry,” he said as he shook his head and then looked around.
We passed a cafeteria, an Italian eatery, and a photography studio before we reached a freestanding information display with a map of the mall. The map outlined the mall’s interior as well as exterior outlets. Apparently there was a twelve screen cinema complex across the street, as well as several more restaurants scattered around the mall’s vicinity.
Orin pointed at the map and said, “There we go. There’s a coffee shop right around the corner here. It’s not a Starbuck’s, but it will do in a pinch, I’m sure. I’d even drink gas station coffee right about now.”
I squeezed Jack’s hand and coaxed him along as we followed Orin. We rounded a corner and the mall seemed to open up before us. It was huge. I looked up and scanned the stores on the second floor. I then looked ahead of us and noticed a giant carrousel resting in what was most likely the center of the mall, a hub with several spokes all littered with stores, I was sure.
“Do you smell that?” Orin asked as he looked back at us and smiled.
I did smell it. The aroma of raw coffee beans grew stronger as we walked.
Orin took a right at the escalators and stopped. Then he made a show of breathing in deeply.
“Now, this is what I’m talking about,” he said.
We followed him into the coffee shop and it was indeed a pleasant sight. A counter covered with coffee, espresso, and cappuccino machines ran along the far wall. In front of it was a service counter with two cash registers and several straw baskets filled with an assortment of chocolates.
I sat Jack down at one of the booths, and then I grabbed a basket of chocolates and sat down with him as Orin tinkered with the coffee machines. I unwrapped a chocolate for Jack and handed it to him. He hesitated.
“Chocolate, Jack. Good,” I said as I took a bite of the chocolate.
It tasted like a small piece of heaven. It tasted like chocolate, sugar, and something else… oranges, maybe? I examined the wrapper as Jack took the piece of chocolate from me. Yep, oranges.
“Good,” Jack said as he made smacking noises.
I looked up at Jack and smiled as I saw how big his red and yellow eyes were. They danced and seemed to go out of focus as he concentrated all his attention on the milk chocolate.
I unwrapped four more pieces. I left three of them on the table as I got up nibbling on the fourth. I walked over to Orin to see how he was doing with the coffee.
“Try this,” I said, offering him the piece of chocolate.
Orin popped the chocolate in his mouth, closed his eyes, and groaned.
Orin opened his eyes and smiled at me and said, “That was like crack cocaine for the taste buds. Is there any more of it?”
I nodded and said, “Baskets and baskets.”
“You should eat some more. This is the first time I think I’ve seen you smile,” he said.
“You want to really see me smile, hurry up with the coffee already.”
Orin turned to the shelf behind him and started taking coffee canisters down off the shelves and lining them up on the counter next to an espresso machine.
“Coffee, espresso, or cappuccino?” he asked.
“Just coffee. Nothing fancy,” I said.
“French Roast, Columbian, or Morning Blend?”
“You pick,” I said and then walked over to a shelf that held a variety of mugs. As I was grabbing two mugs off the shelf, I noticed a cooler to my left. The light was still on inside, and I saw a variety of sodas and mineral waters inside. I walked over and grabbed a water to share with Orin while we waited on the coffee to brew, and I grabbed a cherry fla
vored soda for my brother. Both of the bottles were cold to the touch.
I knew I was probably going to regret later all the sugar I was feeding Jack, but I figured if anyone deserved a treat it was him. I twisted the cap off the plastic bottle of soda as I walked over to Jack, balancing the water and mugs in the crook of my left arm.
Jack had already finished all the chocolate I had unwrapped for him and, to my amazement, I found him unwrapping more. He was moaning as he worried the chocolate out of its wrapper, his face sporting a chocolate mustache and a matching goatee.
“Jack,” I said and took a sip of the soda, sweet and tangy, as he looked up at me. “Good,” I said as I placed the bottle down on the table.
I then grabbed another chocolate from the basket and walked over to Orin.
“Here,” I said as I handed the chocolate to him and placed the mugs down on the counter.
I opened the bottle of mineral water as he unwrapped the chocolate. I took a swig and savored it, looking forward to the coffee.
Orin bit off half the chocolate and offered me the remaining half. I reached for it and he pulled away.
“No, no, no,” he said. “Open wide.”
I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth.
He placed the chocolate on my tongue.
I closed my eyes as I closed my mouth and let the chocolate sit on my tongue and melt.
I opened my eyes when I heard the coffee machine spit and fuss.
“It’s done already?” I asked.
“These aren’t Mr. Coffees we’re messing around with. These machines are top of the line, baby.”
“Don’t call me baby,” I said.
“Sorry. Now, do you take cream or sugar?”
“Black is fine.”
“Ah, a woman after my own heart,” he said as he pulled a metal carafe from the machine and filled the pair of mugs. Then he returned the carafe to the machine and picked up the mugs.
As he turned and handed one of the mugs out to me, he looked me in the eyes and suddenly jumped back from me, spilling coffee onto both of his hands and dropping the mugs.
The mugs shattered on the ground and splashed hot coffee all over the front of my jeans. I took a step back and looked down at my stained jeans.
