Rudy was speechless.
“So…what did you used to do for the Federation before you were in prison?” She asked trying to beat back the heaviness in the room.
“I was an engine and airframe mechanic.” Rudy spread his arms with a huge smile and added, “I really want to be a helicopter pilot!”
“Why didn’t you test for it?”
He dropped his arms and answered, “I did, but I didn’t score high enough.”
Coraset looked at him curiously and asked, “Rudy, how did you end up in prison anyway?”
He cleared his throat and said, “I stole a point card.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Why would you do that?”
Rudy embarrassedly answered, “I don’t want to say.”
Coraset knew as young as he was, he must have had a hard time in prison. He was among the leeches of society, and the worse of the worse.
Rudy leaned back on his arms before asking, “Have you ever been married?”
“No,” Coraset answered.
“Have you ever wanted kids?”
She seriously considered his answer and answered, “I did when I was in high school. I wanted to get married and have two kids, a boy and a girl. I wanted a nuclear family.”
“What is a nuclear family? It sounds dangerous.” Rudy asked in a serious tone.
“It’s not. It’s like I said, two kids and a husband.”
Rudy understood and remarked, “I don’t think I’ll ever get married, and kids are definitely not an option anymore.”
“It’s unfortunate for all of us,” Coraset added.
She stood and picked up the bag to test the weight. She placed the strap on her shoulder, and then on the other shoulder. She walked around trying to make sure it wasn’t going to be a bother when she set on her way that evening.
Rudy watched her considering everything she told him. He put all of the facts in his head, added a few notions based on what she said and what he’d seen her do, and drew his own conclusions. Overall, he thought Coraset was a strange woman. He’d never met anyone like her before.
He commented, “I don’t understand you, Coraset.”
“I’m not a complicated person, Rudy.”
“Yeah, you are. Before the outbreak, you were a humanitarian at Erato Biotrade. Now, you’re a horticulturist for the Federation, and you know how to handle a gun. You probably know how to fight, too. How did you learn all that stuff?”
“I’ll have to tell you later how and why I learned all of those things, but right now, you need to check the weight of the bag. We’re going to be walking all night, and you need to make sure it’ll be comfortable.”
Rudy threw the bag over his opposite shoulder and stood. He bounced where he stood and he walked around Coraset a couple of times. She watched him, smiling. He took it off and sat back down on the floor.
“I guess it’s good to go?” Coraset asked as she set her bag aside.
“Yeah, it’s perfect. Coraset, I have another question.”
“I bet you do,” she commented as she joined him on the floor.
“You mentioned you had a stepdad. What does he do for the Federation?”
“He’s a chemist.”
“Alice teaches mathematics. I don’t think she likes it anymore.”
“Why not,” she asked.
“She says school isn’t the same like it was before the outbreak. It is regulated, very controlled, and there are no kids. She doesn’t like teaching adults. She says it’s more difficult.”
“I can understand what she means. Some adults can’t be molded. We get stuck in our ways, and it’s hard to change. It’s almost impossible sometimes.”
“I always tell her it’ll get better. One day, the world will have babies again, and she’ll be able to teach them like she used to.”
“And what does she say?”
“She tells me I’m being foolish and to grow up.”
Coraset nodded, thinking the same thing.
They remained inside the hut and tried to get some sleep. Sometimes they started talking, but most of the time, it was quiet between them. Coraset couldn’t wait to start her trek that evening. She was eager to get back to civilization. Rudy missed his sister, and that’s what he looked forward to the most. Being with his only family and starting over.
The day continued on slowly. Way too slow for Rudy’s pace, but soon the sun was far in the west. Coraset stood. It was about that time, but there was one thing she wanted to do first.
CHAPTER FIVE
The horrid, larger than life vultures jumped away from muscle man dead body when Coraset and Rudy approached. Dewey was sleeping inside the bus. Coraset kicked his hand, startling him awake. Rudy backed away, avoiding the stench of the dead body. Dewey crawled out looking like a fright with severely chapped lips and messier hair than the day before. Coraset eyed his bloody pants.
“What you want, girly?” Dewey asked in a dry, rough voice.
“We’re taking you to the shack.” Coraset revealed as she tossed the handcuff key to him.
“Are you going to show me a good time?” His hands were shaking as he reached for the key.
Coraset showed him the gun as an answer to his question. He unlocked his wrist, but he didn’t try to get up.
“I can’t walk.”
Coraset pointed to Rudy and said, “He’ll help you.”
Rudy didn’t expect her to say that, but he came over to help him to his feet anyway. Dewey smelled horribly bad along with the dead body, and Rudy held his breath as they stumbled towards the road. Coraset followed them. Dewey hung his head, weak and tired, but he kept on going starving for the shelter at the end of the road.
When they were inside, Rudy helped him down to the floor. Coraset gave Rudy zip ties to secure Dewey’s ankles and wrists in front of his body. He hesitated to do it, but Rudy did as he was told, remembering that this man and his friends did the same to him. Coraset held the gun square on him, waiting for Dewey to make the wrong move. He stared back at Coraset, parched, tired, and unwilling to fight back.
“Why are you helping me?”
“I’m not,” Coraset remarked as she reached for the satchel near the door. She shoved the gun in the bag and settled it on her shoulder.
Rudy threw the strap of his bag across his chest, and he waited for Coraset at the door.
“Where are you going?” Dewey looked to Coraset, to Rudy, and then back at her.
She walked out without answering his question.
Rudy said, “There is plenty to eat and drink in here. You should be good until the next bus arrives.”
“When will that be?” He asked in a panicked voice.
“I don’t know,” Rudy remarked.
“Don’t leave me here by myself! Untie me! HEEEY!” Dewey yelled and wiggled around to try and get up.
Rudy didn’t want to hear the screaming. He rushed out the door to catch up with Coraset. She was already a good distance up the road, and he had to run to catch up with her. They walked at a fast pace following the cleared road. The sun was beginning to set to their right side, creating hues of blues, from the lightest of sapphire to the darkest of navy.
As the night approached, Rudy became much more aware and fearful. Coraset didn’t speak of the sounds they heard, the eerie shuffling in the blackness, the howls of coyotes, and other unseen life of the desert. She never slowed her stride, and Rudy was becoming tired the more they walked. He wanted to take a breather, but at the same time, he didn’t want to stand still and be a victim of the hidden dangers of the desert. Coraset slowed down a little, knowing he needed somewhat of a break.
Rudy didn’t like the silence. The distant landscape was scary. He stated hoping to get his mind off of the sights and sounds, “You wanted to know how I ended up in prison?”
“You stole a point card,” Coraset reminded him.
“I was bored. I was trying to go against the grain, push against the rules, you know.”
�
�So, how did you do it?”
“I was going home from work. I saw a woman walking in front of me, and I decided to snatch her purse.”
“Rudy, that’s horrible,” Coraset remarked.
“It felt so good at the time to push back against Erato’s norm. By the time I got home, the police was waiting for me. I was arrested and was on trial the exact same day. They sentenced me to jail for a year. Can you believe that?”
“You’re lucky. They could have put you in jail for five years,” Coraset commented.
“Yeah, I know. When they told me I was going to the Mojave Prison, I nearly craped my pants.”
“I hope you really didn’t,” she said as she cringed at the thought.
“No, I didn’t, but I was scared out of my mind. Pushing against the rules seemed like a good idea when I first did it.”
“Now and days you could end up dead,” Coraset said.
Rudy agreed silently. His thoughts immediately went back to Dewey. He wondered why Coraset helped him. Why she didn’t leave him in the desert? He did try to kill her, and Rudy had no doubts Dewey would have tried to kill him, too.
He asked, “Coraset, why did you help Dewey before we left?”
“Old habits,” she admitted.
“But he tried to kill you.”
“I know, but I wasn’t going to leave him in the heat. At least, in the shed he’s a little cooler, and he has food.”
“You’re like an oxymoron, Coraset.”
“I don’t like insults, Rudy.” She warned.
“It’s not a real insult.”
“You call me an ox and a moron.”
“That does sound bad, huh?” Unable to contain his laughter, Rudy explained, “I’m just saying, you helped the guy that tried to kill you, and you shot him, too.”
Coraset thought about his statement and nodded in agreement. “Sometimes you have to be the better person, Rudy.”
That one statement said it all, and Rudy took in the advice with a new found respect for Coraset. She was hard when she had to be, but she was compassionate, too. He resolved there wasn’t anything difficult about her.
They continued walking the sandy road. Their backdrop was the unknown desert, and they felt exhilarated. Their destination was closer with each step, with each moment, and they walked all night.
CHAPTER SIX
The Mojave Prison set against the background of a yellow colored landscape to the east. The sun was barely up behind the huge structure. Coraset and Rudy were tired from the long night trek, but Coraset knew they weren’t even close to where they wanted to be. Her determination was still set to leave the desolate landscape, and Rudy was just as determined to keep up with her.
They jogged out of eyesight of the guard towers; a good distance from the main road that went passed the prison. Coraset wanted to get a least a mile away from the prison before going back to the road. She knew there was a caravan of vehicles transporting the prison guards within the hour, but usually a few people drove by themselves early in the morning. She wanted to catch one of them, but she had to move fast.
Finally, they found a spot to wait and to catch their breaths. Coraset kept her attention up the road. Rudy rest his hands on his knees, and he dipped his head feeling utterly tired. After a few minutes, the distant headlights of the caravan could be seen from the south. The road was paved, but still some dust could be seen.
Rudy took off his bag and sat down on it. That’s all he wanted was a bath and a bed. Every part of his muscles hurt. Sometimes it was even hard to focus. Rudy knew it wasn’t time to rest.
He asked Coraset to keep himself awake, “You remember what you told me yesterday?”
“We talked about a lot of things.” Coraset squatted down when she saw the caravan was getting closer.
“You were going to tell me how you learned everything.”
“Oh,” Coraset got down on one knee for comfort and continued. “Well, I used to travel around the world making sure the aid got to the right people. Sometimes entire shipments would be stolen or simply taken right out of our hands at the airport. It could be a seriously dangerous job, Rudy. Have you ever heard of Darfur?”
“No,” Rudy listened with heightened interest.
“Darfur used to be in the continent of Africa. They went through a brutal civil war, and we wanted to get the aid to the refugees. We got into the country. After my employees left the airport in Al Fashir, their caravan was stopped. Our stuff was seized immediately. One of my constituents tried to stop them, but-” Coraset shook her head.
The caravan suddenly reached them, and they ducked down.
Once the vehicles passed, Coraset continued, “They shot one of my staff members, they took a woman, and they took the cargo. I was still in Al Fashir when I heard about the kidnapping and high jacking. We never found Nancy, and we couldn’t find the truck, either. I decided at that point it was time to learn self-defense, and I trained on different weapons, as well. I took it very seriously. With all the good I tried to do in the world there were equally bad things that wanted to stop me. I just made sure I was prepared for the battle, that’s all.”
Rudy took in her story and stated, “I’m impressed with you.”
Distant headlights and a dust cloud snatched Coraset’s attention away before she could reply. She stepped towards the road, but stopped short a few of yards away. She tossed her bag on the ground, unzipped it, and started undressing leaving her white undershirt and underwear on. Rudy was shocked to see her half naked. He didn’t know what to say.
She tossed her orange jumpsuit into the bag, and released her long hair. Coraset bent down to get her gun, and Rudy stood upright, speechless as he stared at her dark, thin frame. The undershirt and underwear did a flimsy job at hiding her private parts, and he swallowed hard, unable to turn away. Coraset didn’t have time to be shy or to set him straight. She started for the road.
“What are you going to do?” Rudy managed to ask.
“Stay out here, out of sight, Rudy. Don’t move until I tell you. You understand?”
He looked at her weird, not really sure what was going on.
“Tell me you understand, Rudy.”
“I understand.”
Coraset continued towards the road. The car was moving in quickly. She looked to Rudy and pointed to the ground.
“Stay out of sight!” She yelled back at him.
Rudy did as he was told. She made sure that he was down before turning her back to the approaching car. She hid the gun with her body as she waited.
A black four door sedan came to a screeching halt. A man in a prison guard uniform stepped out. He didn’t understand why a half-naked woman would be in the middle of the road. He called to her, but Coraset didn’t answer. The man turned around where he stood, not really sure what to do. He stepped away from his car.
“Hey,” he called with uncertainty. “Are you okay?”
Coraset waited patiently for him to get closer. The man would stop and call to her every other step. When he finally reached her, Coraset turned towards him in a quick motion and pointed the gun at him.
The man was startled and threw his hands up. Her aim was dead on his chest.
“Rudy,” she called.
He was already halfway on his feet. He grabbed both of their bags, and he started running towards Coraset.
“Get in the car,” she ordered.
Coraset rushed to the driver’s side of the vehicle, opened the door, and immediately got in. The man kept his hands up.
She turned the car around and floored it towards Baker or rather what was left of it. She kept looking in the rearview mirror, the fear of someone tailing them overbearing her mind, but there was no sign. The drive would be an hour and a half long, and she wasn’t going to slow down for a second.
Shifting in his seat, Rudy tried to stand slightly, reaching under himself to find a cellphone. Spotting it out of the corner of her eye, Coraset reached over, snatched it from his outstretched hand an
d turned it on. As the dial tone resounded throughout the speeding vehicle, she smirked. Dialing in an all too familiar number, she shouldered the electronic device and waited, eyes still focused on the road stretching out like an endless ribbon before her. A busy signal sounded off, and with a groan of frustration, she dropped the phone in her hand to shut it off.
“Who were you trying to call?”
“Our ride to Erato. He should be going through Baker in a couple of hours.”
“Text him,” Rudy suggested.
“Good idea.” Coraset remarked as she immediately opened the phone again. She handed it back to Rudy and told him to recall the last number dialed. “Type in Baker at 9:30 a.m., 7772.”
Rudy did as she said and asked, “Do you think this person will answer the text?”
“Oh yeah,” Coraset said with confidence.
He held on to the phone with both hands, and a few minutes later, a text appeared on the illuminated screen. Rudy read the message back to Coraset.
‘85234, old Baker at 10:00 a.m.’
She smiled and nodded with confidence. They were set.
Rudy looked at the phone, thinking about his sister. He wanted to reach out to Alice, but he wasn’t sure if he should. Rudy was concerned about the man they stole the car from. Would the police track the phone to find them? A fear overtook Rudy, and he quickly turned it off. He decided he’ll contact his sister once he got home.
CHAPTER SEVEN
After what seemed like an endless drive, they stopped just before old Baker. They slowly and as casually as possible, walked towards the highway. Rudy lingered behind. His eyes gaped tiredly at the surrounding dilapidated stucco homes. He wanted so much to be back in Barat. He didn’t like the desert anymore. He was tired of it. Nothing seemed to exist. He wanted his life back. He wanted to see his sister again.
The Secret Weapon Page 4
