Until Nothing Remains: A Hybrid Post-Apocalyptic Espionage Adventure (A Gun Play Novel: Volume 1)

by C. A. Rudolph

  Chris shrugged. “It doesn’t. You just made it sound like it was going to be the three of us. I didn’t know we’d be doing a double-date thing.”

  Jessi went to light a cigarette. “Chris, quit it. You’re being weird. This isn’t a double date, and I never said it was just going to be us three. You misinterpreted.”

  “No, I didn’t misinterpret anything. You miscommunicated—by not mentioning Barbie’s boyfriend would be coming along. And it would’ve been nice to have known that little tidbit way back at the beginning.”

  “What do you mean, ‘way back at the beginning’?”

  “Back when I didn’t know if I was going or not.”

  Jessi blew out a puff of smoke, looking exasperated. “Oh, I see. If I went with my cousin and her boyfriend, it’s not cool, but if she goes with me and my boyfriend, all’s well with the world.”

  Chris was growing frustrated. He waved her off. “You know what? Just forget it. Forget I said anything. The bottom line is, if I would’ve known he was going all along, I wouldn’t have hesitated to make my decision to go.”

  Jessi flicked a few minute particles of ash out her window. She reached for Chris’s chin. “Babe, it’s okay. I’m sorry…I’m just really glad you’re going. I hate being the third wheel. And I know how much you hate pissing your parents off.” She leaned over to him and nibbled on his ear. “This means a lot to me. I promise you, no matter how bad it gets, I’ll make it all better.”

  Several minutes after they’d made up, Chris and Jessi got out of the car and walked to the house. Deciding to forgo ringing the doorbell this time around, Jessi impulsively waltzed inside, motioning for Chris to follow. The couple slid into the foyer in time to hear Barbie’s voice calling from her bedroom downstairs, though they couldn’t discern what she was saying.

  In an oversized kitchen with marble flooring, directly ahead and to their left, stood a tall, muscular man with a high and tight haircut and metal-framed glasses. Both the hair on his head and the stubble on his face and chin had patches of gray mixed in with darker shades. He appeared much older than his present company.

  Jessi approached him without delay. “Hey, Robbie,” she said, “what’s up?” She pointed behind her. “This is my boyfriend, Chris.”

  The tall man remained expressionless and turned his head gradually to regard the recent arrivals. After a delay, he nodded to Chris, then sent a rather chilling stare to Jessi. “You’re not supposed to smoke in here,” he said with a gruff voice.

  Jessi glanced down at her cigarette. “Oh shit, you’re right. I totally forgot. I didn’t even think about it.”

  “That was stupid, walking in here with a lit cigarette,” Robbie said. “If Barbie’s parents smell smoke in their house, they’ll burn her at the stake.”

  Jessi took one last puff while turning and making a run for the door. Managing to hold it in, she opened the door and exhaled, then flicked the cigarette outside into the driveway. “Yeah, I know and I’m sorry. It’s totally my fault.” She waved her hand at the smoke that had made its way inside before closing the door.

  Robbie stood unmoving, still as a porcelain figurine. “If they decide to crucify her, that’ll be your fault too.”

  Jessi looked dumbfounded at the remark. “What? Crucify her?”

  “You heard me. And you need to pick up that fag end you flicked outside before you leave too. No evidence.”

  “Fag end?”

  “The cigarette butt!” Robbie scolded.

  “Okay! Jesus!” Jessi said, completely taken aback at the tone he was using to get his point across. “I will.”

  Sensing the tension, and thus feeling a need to defend her, Chris moved in, positioning himself between the tall man with graying hair and his girlfriend. “Look, dude, my girl said she was sorry. So chillax. This is her aunt and uncle’s house. There’s no reason to be a dick.”

  Robbie’s cold stare found its way to Chris. “I wasn’t aware I was being a dick,” he muttered, then yelled, “Yo, Barbie! Your friends are up here waiting on you! Let’s go, already!”

  Barbie’s voice bellowed from the basement. “I know that, and I already told you I was coming! I’ll be there in a minute!” Her voice, though highly subdued as heard echoing through the walls, hallways, and doors of the home, sounded provoked.

  Chris turned away. He reached for Jessi and spoke into her ear. “I think we should go back outside and wait. I don’t know what this geezer’s problem is, but I don’t like it.”

  Jessi hesitated, then nodded, fluttering her lashes. “Okay, babe. Sure, that’s fine.” She then hollered to Barbie, notifying her of their plan.

  Chris escorted Jessi out the front door, securing it behind him. He pulled on her hand until they had gotten far enough away from the house that he was certain their conversation couldn’t be overheard. “Okay, level with me. Who in the hell is that guy?”

  Jessi’s eyes searched low while she attempted to find the cigarette she’d flicked out moments ago. “I told you already. He’s Barbie’s boyfriend.”

  “Yeah, obviously. But how old is he?”

  Jessi smiled when she came across her Marlboro. “I don’t know, like twenty-five or twenty-six, maybe. Why?”

  “Holy shit,” Chris reacted. “I guess that explains all the gray hair. He’s almost a decade older than we are. Why is she with him?”

  “Why do you care?”

  “I don’t care…I’m just curious.”

  Jessi shrugged with disinterest. “Barbie’s always liked older guys.” She placed the cigarette between her lips, relit it, and took a drag. “She’s tried dating younger before, but it just never worked out.”

  Chris stammered a bit in disbelief. “He seems…I don’t know, weird. That shitsleeve attitude of his…I can’t place it. What does he do for a living? Is he a cop or something?”

  Jessi shrugged, taking another drag. “I don’t think so. I think Barbie told me he was a mechanic.”

  Chris snickered. “That makes sense, taking into consideration his personality, or lack thereof.”

  “Stop it, Chris,” said Jessi, smacking him on the shoulder. “Don’t be mean. I don’t want you around them if you can’t be nice.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I can be nice. I actually possess a personality—along with a witty sense of humor. I don’t think that dude has either.”

  “You just met him today and my cousin yesterday. Give them a chance, okay? For me?”

  The door opened, and Barbie stepped out with her much taller boyfriend towering over her in tow. She was wearing a full backpack, had a duffel bag hanging from her shoulder, and was struggling to carry a Yeti cooler while Robbie’s hands remained astoundingly free.

  Jessi ran to her aid and immediately took hold of the cooler. “Jesus, what the hell’s in this? It weighs a ton.”

  Barbie began rubbing the hand she’d been using to grasp the cooler’s carry handle. “What do you think? That’s where I keep the party. Nice and cold.”

  Even using two hands to hoist the Yeti, Jessi fought to carry it. She set it on the ground, her eyes falling upon Robbie. “Why aren’t you helping to carry anything?”

  With a stone-cold expression, he slowly turned to eyeball her. “It’s not my shit.”

  “That’s nice,” Jessi quipped. “That’s real nice—real gentlemanly of you. Very chivalrous.” She turned and called to Chris, who came to her aid in an instant.

  “Thanks for the help, guys,” Barbie said graciously.

  “It’s not a problem,” Chris said, grunting initially at the weight of the cooler. “I guess now would be the best time to ask…whose car are we taking?”

  Jesse and Barbie both went to speak until they were interrupted by Robbie. “Barbie and I will be riding in my truck,” he said commandingly. “You two will need to take your car. We’ll go separate in case we want to leave at different times.”

  Chris looked to Barbie for signs of approval but didn’t get any. He then turned h
is attention to his girlfriend, who only stood silent and blank-faced. “That’s probably for the best, anyway. We wouldn’t want to intrude on what I imagine would be quite the delightful conversation between you two on the way there.” Chris hoisted the cooler into the back of Robbie’s truck and turned away, reaching for Jessi’s hand. “Let’s go. I’m sure Mr. Perfect knows the way.”

  Eight

  Jiffy Lube Live Pavilion. Bristow, Virginia

  Thursday, March 27, 6:35 p.m. EDT

  Nihayat al’ayam minus 5 hours, 25 minutes

  While holding three other beanbags in his left hand, Chris tossed a fourth underhanded at the cornhole board across the way. The bag smacked the board and slipped across its slick surface, landing on the gravelly pavement a few feet behind Jessi.

  “Nice bag,” Jessi said. She grinned and twisted at the waist so she could verify the canvas bag’s final resting place.

  “Thanks,” replied Chris, tossing another and getting an almost identical result. “Shit. Did you grease these up before you left?”

  Jessi laughed. “No, they’re just brand new. The ’rents bought them a few months ago before one of their black-tie throw-downs. I don’t think anyone’s actually ever played with them.”

  “That’s obvious.” Chris finished his turn without scoring, and scanned the parking lot while Jessi prepared for her turn. He gestured to Robbie’s truck parked beside her Mustang. “Those two sure have been gone a long time. Think they’re coming back?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I wonder where they went that’s keeping them away so long?” Chris deliberated.

  “Probably inside. To get good spots for us, I’d imagine,” Jessi said, tossing her first bag and getting it in the hole effortlessly. “Why do you care so much?”

  “I don’t know…I guess I just assumed we’d be doing this tailgating-party thing together,” Chris said, shrugging. “Nice shot, by the way.”

  Jessi smiled at him and sank another hole in one. “Thanks.”

  “You know, the game is typically more fun with two teams of two.”

  “You’re not wrong,” she said, sinking another.

  Chris looked dumbfounded. “Really? Are you, like, a professional cornhole player or something?”

  Jessi’s final shot landed on the board, but didn’t drop through. “Clearly not. But I’ll admit, it’s hard concentrating with you babbling about Barbie and Robbie again.”

  “I didn’t think I was babbling at all. I was only wondering where they were.”

  “Wondering, babbling, whatevs. Why do you care so much about their whereabouts?” Jessi asked. She knelt and picked up Chris’s stray beanbags from the ground. “I swear, it’s like you’re obsessed with them. Or maybe it’s just her.”

  Chris looked stunned. “What? Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Am I? Am I being ridiculous, Chris? Because I don’t think I am. It’s pretty damn obvious you like her.”

  “Jessi! Really? Of course I like her. She seems…like a cool person. And she’s your cousin, so why wouldn’t I?”

  “No…I mean you like her. Like you’re completely attracted to her.” Jessi folded her arms over her chest. “It’s not the least bit surprising. This isn’t the first time Barbie has done this to me.”

  “It’s not the first time she’s done what to you?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. It doesn’t matter—I saw the way you looked at her. She was flaunting herself, and you were checking her out. I mean, I know she has a great body…and…”

  “No, wait,” Chris said, approaching her. “You have a great body.”

  “Stop it, Chris.”

  Chris reached for her hips, and Jessi pulled away at first, but a second effort bore fruit. “Have you ever really looked at yourself? I mean really looked at yourself? You have a magnificent body, Jess. You don’t have to flaunt it, and I check you out literally all the time. And…your cousin’s an athlete, so of course she looks good. But I don’t want an athlete, and I definitely don’t want your cousin. I want you.”

  Jessi peered up at him with expectant puppy-dog eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”

  Jessi smiled slightly and let go of the cornhole bags she was holding. “Fine,” she said, surrendering. “Fine, Romeo. You’ve successfully buttered me up yet again. Let’s go inside and find them.”

  Inside the pavilion, bodies moved and cascaded together with every thump and rumble of bass. The closest screaming, pulsating speaker was at least a football field’s distance away, but the volume of the music being played was nothing short of earsplitting. Chris found it pointless to even attempt to carry on a conversation. He had tried a couple of times to no avail, and he was even having trouble putting his own thoughts together amidst the drowning commotion surrounding him. The place was a madhouse.

  While Chris scanned the crowd in search of Barbie and her tall, rather standoffish jerk of a boyfriend, Jessi followed either alongside or just behind, her body moving and squirming to the tune and beat of the music. She closed her eyes often and had a smile of pure bliss painted on her face, indicating the melody had somehow entranced her. She appeared as though she hadn’t a care in the world.

  Chris was different, though. He did have a care in the world—a number of them, most of which regarded his future. He knew every decision he made influenced that future, and try as he might, he couldn’t find any way to just let go and relax. In the past, all it had taken was a beer or two for him to loosen up. He’d seen Jessi partake of several alcoholic drinks from her cooler and even from Barbie’s Yeti, but he hadn’t so much as touched one tonight.

  Chris sometimes felt like he was too much like his father. He’d never been an admirer of large crowds. His father had always been so steadfast with his feelings about how large gatherings of people were potentially dangerous places to be. Not that they weren’t fun places to be, but even the most entertaining of places could easily turn bad in the blink of an eye. Adam had told Chris many times before that standing in the middle of a crowd of thousands would be the last place he’d ever want to be if and when something awry happened to pop off.

  Chris recalled the biggest concern his father would often lecture about was the immediate human response to an unanticipated occurrence. In the majority of situations, everything goes according to plan, allowing everyone to enjoy themselves and have a good time. No one gets hurt and everyone is able to return home safely. But the moment something goes wrong, it doesn’t take long for panic to set in. And when a crowd of people is gathered together and tightly packed into a mall or concert hall, sports arena, stadium, or even a department store on Black Friday, that panic can multiply and become a chain reaction.

  Chris had seen it happen before on television and on the news and had seen the look of unease settle on his father’s face when they’d visited the Verizon Center to watch a Washington Capitals hockey game. As much as he wanted to have a good time and enjoy himself with Jessi, he just couldn’t. Especially now, since they’d become separated from the couple they’d arrived with.

  An overhead halogen light glaring at his eyes, Chris sheltered his view with his hand when he thought he might’ve caught sight of Robbie’s head towering over a group gathered around him. Chris lifted himself onto his tiptoes, verifying it was indeed him, then scanned for Barbie, but couldn’t see her anywhere.

  He pulled Jessi closer, interrupting her mid-dance, and put his mouth to her ear. “I saw Robbie!” he exclaimed.

  Jessi jerked away from him, squinting and looking annoyed. “Why are you screaming in my ear?”

  Chris could barely hear her, but he could see the irritation building in her eyes as Jessi rubbed her ear. He realized then, he might have exceeded the necessary volume with regard to his proximity. He spoke again, only not as close as last time. “I see Robbie. He’s just over there on the other side of a group of guys. I don’t see Barbie anywhere, though.”


  Jessi shrugged uncaringly and started to dance again. “Okay, whatever! Just go! I’ll follow you!”

  He latched onto her, then turned and began making his way through the crowd again. Once they got closer, Chris found where Barbie was, realizing he couldn’t see her earlier because she was standing in Robbie’s shadow. She was actively pulling on him, attempting to uncouple him from an argument that had turned physical with several other young men.

  Chris took a second to gauge the look on Robbie’s face. He looked intimidating, and the others were either antagonizing him or being antagonized by him. Attempting to discern which was which amidst the mind-numbing noise and crowd movement was pointless.

  Chris watched as Robbie moved in and shoved one of the younger, shorter boys away from him. His instincts told him to intercede. But when he went to put himself between them and stop what was about to happen, the boy took a swing at Robbie and connected with his chin. The look on Robbie’s face forged into sheer anger in a millisecond. Robbie charged at his attacker, tackling him to the ground while taking several innocent bystanders along with them.

  As Chris reached in to pull Robbie away, he was yanked away and attacked from behind, a stout punch connecting several times with his left ear. Startled and dazed, he turned to face his attacker, only to have another punch land on his chin. It wasn’t hard enough to knock him out cold, but it was enough to further stun him, and Chris fell backward onto his butt.

  Confused and defenseless, he held his hands in the air, attempting to prevent being hit again while the music and crowd noise did nothing but add to the overall mayhem. As his vision returned, Chris could see Robbie only several feet away. He was straddled atop someone and was pummeling his face with his fists while his victim pled for the much taller, stronger man to stop. Robbie’s melee on the boy was relentless, and the emotionless stare Robbie was giving the boy showed no signs of relinquishing.