The Unwanted Winter - Volume One of the Saga of the Twelves

by Richard Heredia

  “So, that’s it then,” announced Elena, looking toward her sister. “We must train.”

  “Absolutely.”

  ~~~~~~~~<<<<<<{ ☼ }>>>>>>~~~~~~~~

  ~ 67 ~

  Organization is the Key, but It Still Sucks

  Day Two, Friday, 12:37 pm…

  She had been on the verge of waking when Hyun had come back into the Market where she and Derek were still laying down atop the pile of smelly burlap produce bags. The Korean girl was yelling excitedly at them, saying they had to get up and help find supplies, because, of all things, there was a blizzard blowing “like mad!” outside. She remembered groaning out loud and telling the other girl she was still drunk from the beers and should chill out instead.

  Hyun had stood there with her hands on her hips, some Macy’s bag looped through one of her wrists with a look of consternation plain upon her visage, one eye squinting back at Kimberly.

  “What?” Kimberly had exclaimed when the other teenager kept staring at her.

  “I already told you ‘what’, Kim. You guys need to get up, wash yourselves and help me gather some supplies,” replied Hyun hotly.

  “What for?” Kimberly had whined.

  Hyun rolled her eyes. “I already told you. What the hell, maybe you’re the one still drunk from last night, the way you’re acting all dumb ass and shit,” Hyun had countered, clearly devoid of patience.

  This girl always has a stick up her ass!

  “Is there really a blizzard blowing outside?” asked Derek. He somehow managed to speak through a gaping yawn, which made Kimberly moan again. She knew if both of the others were of the same mind, she was about to get dragged into some mindless crap she didn’t want to deal with right now.

  Hyun’s look mellowed as she peered over at Derek.

  He was busy rubbing sleep from his eyes and scratched at his scalp through his short, neatly cropped hair.

  “There sure is. It took me nearly ten minutes to get the doors at the front of the mall to stay shut. If hadn’t tried, I’m sure they would’ve blown off their hinges by now. The wind wasn’t just screeching out there, it was freakin’ screaming, and the snow… good god, it was blowing around like a tornado. I have never seen anything like before, let me tell you,” she had replied in a single breath.

  “Wow,” was all Derek said. He got up and stretched to his full height, bending backward at the waist to get some of the kinks out of his body he’d gathered during the night.

  “Christ,” Kimberly had muttered as she sat up and stretched like a cat, which was what she normally did in the morning. She arched her back first, then extending her legs one at a time, and finally crossing herself with one arm each to loosen up her shoulders. Then, and only then, did she make an effort to stand.

  “I left some stuff at the front of the market where the light is better. The both of you can brush your teeth, wash your face, and comb your hair. All you need is your own toothbrush. I ain’t sharing mine. There’s a whole bunch of them three aisles down, hanging on the wall,” she pointed, indicating where to go. “You might also want to get a dry towel or something. The one I got might still be too wet to be of much use to you guys,” explained Hyun, raising her eyebrows at Kimberly. It was a silent nudge telling her she should move her ass.

  This made Kimberly bristle. She hated being rushed in the morning.

  “Oh, and if you’re feeling funky, because you haven’t changed your skivvies for the past few days, Macy’s has everything you need. See, I already got some for myself.” She had finished holding up the plastic bag clearly showing the dim outline of a few bras and a couple packs of panties.

  “Sweet,” was the second single word reply from Derek. He walked off to get what he needed to freshen up, taking the flashlight Kimberly had found in the Fish Market two days before.

  Both of the girls watched him go.

  Kimberly had turned back to Hyun. “You’re not fucking with us just to get us up are you? I mean, there is a storm brewing outside like you said, right?”

  Hyun rotated her neck, giving her a level stare through slitted eyes. “No, Kimberly, I’m not fucking with you, as you so eloquently put it. There is a monster of a storm howling out there unlike anything I have seen in the past, even on cable. If it gets any worse, it might blow down the damned doors of this place. If we lose those doors, then it’s gonna get real, real cold in here. So, we’re going to have to make sure every one of them is secured against the wind or else we might be in trouble.

  “And, we’re gonna have to gather up supplies, because we’re going to be her for a while.”

  Kimberly had just stared back at her with a disdainful twist to her face.

  Hyun continued. “We need to find some blankets or something, maybe more flashlights. We need to organize our food and water, and round up some toiletries. Don’t you see? There’s a lot of crap we gotta do just in case something goes wrong. If anything happens, we outta be prepared. Don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” admitted Kimberly, begrudgingly. It all sounded good, but the chick didn’t have to be so god damned bossy about it.

  Without another word, Kimberly had tucked her hair behind her ears and left to follow Derek, willing to go along for now, especially if it meant they would be safer in the long run.

  I’ll follow your lead for now, bitch, but don’t get any ideas.

  After, they’d eaten a quick breakfast of milk and cereal, the three of them traversed over to the department store. Kim and Derek to change their respective under garments and scooped up some extra ones, while Hyun had gone to lock both sets of doors leading into the mall from Macy’s.

  When they’d finished, they split up. Each had been intent on finding some of things Hyun had mentioned over their meal. Each of them had their own ideas of where they may lay in the broad confines of the Eagle Rock Plaza. While they searched, they were also to seek out every entrance to the mall and make certain the doors were properly battened against the storm.

  Kimberly walked down the lower level of the middle concourse to the set of doors identical to the ones Hyun had locked earlier on the second floor. She fastened them against the tempest, which wasn’t nearly as bad as Hyun said. She knew the girl wasn’t lying or exaggerating, since the lower level was actually dug into the ground. The storm’s fury was stunted by the second level of the parking lot here.

  After, she made her way down to the Anna’s Linens, which she’d passed on her way to Macy’s. She was in search of better bedding and extra coverings should the doors, in fact, fail and the winter invade the mall. It hadn’t taken her long to fill up two small shopping carts with three twin-sized “beds-in-a-bag”, a set of towels for each of them and a bunch of bathroom rugs they could sit or lay on when they either ate or slept. It would provide insulation, while adding another layer of cushion in between them and the cold, hard tile flooring in the market. They could even put the burlap bags underneath the rugs and add yet another layer of comfort. Kimberly had a hard time sleeping on hard surfaces. She was sure the others did as well.

  Hyun must’ve come directly back to the market after leaving Macy’s. By the time Kimberly had returned, she had gathered some of the temporary cardboard displays from around the store and had placed them near where they made their temporary camp, behind the immediate front of the store. She had placed within the various sections anything ready-made to eat – rolls, breads, string cheese, crackers of all kinds, cookies, energy bars, soft drinks, juice pouches, lunch meats (that were still cold, because the air about them hovered around fifty degrees), a few large summer sausages, bottled water of all sizes. She had even grabbed a gallon of water and put two packs of instant cool-aide into the container. She’d shaken it like crazy. Now, they could have some cherry punch whenever they wished.

  In spite of herself, Kimberly was nodding in satisfaction when she glanced around at the other girl’s handy-work. She might act like a nag, but Hyun usually did excellent work, once her mind wa
s set on something. She had to give her credit, even though she would never tell her to her face.

  Hell no, then that shit will go to her head, she mused with wry twist of her lip.

  Kimberly glanced up when Hyun had returned with another bundle of goodies held in her arms.

  She saw what Kimberly had brought back with her, her eyes alight. “Kim! Oh my god, you totally scored, that stuff looks so comfortable,” she had crooned, staring at the bulky comforters and cotton sheets.

  Kimberly could almost imagine her thinking about snuggling up within them tonight and she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, the girl was a loon.

  “Why don’t you set up our ‘beds’, while I continue to gather up some more stuff we can use. Ok?” she continued.

  Kimberly just nodded back at her.

  “You know, even though this place smells like a dead trout left out in the sun, they carry a lot of useful stuff in this market.”

  Kimberly had sniffed in the positive and walked over to the burlap bags. She began spreading them out a little farther, evening them, making them more level than they’d been previously.

  Hyun sauntered off, looking for more things for them to eat.

  The dark-haired, Emo-girl pulled out the small carpets and began spreading them over the dank produce bags, hoping they would stifle their unpleasant scent. She made a medium-sized seating/eating area with the rest, placing it in the middle of the cardboard shelving that held their food. At least they wouldn’t be sitting on the chilly ground any more.

  Next, she began to unzip the plastic coverings about the comforter sets. She made them each a place to sleep, choosing a black and white, zebra striped set for herself, while laying out a darker set bedding of earth tones hues for Derek and a flowery-patterned one for Hyun. She felt each of them fit their individual personalities and would contribute to a better night’s rest for all of them. Rest and recovery was something they would need on a consistent basis, especially since they didn’t know how long they’d be stuck there in the mall.

  She piled two more solid comforters on top of the others just in case they needed extra protection from the cold when they slept or walked about. She hoped they’d be enough protection should the outer doors of the mall fail against the onslaught of the wind. Hyun had told her to be prepared, so she had. She was just pushing the carts out of the way, when Derek walked up.

  “Dang, you girls hooked us the hell up!” His face split by a huge smile. It made his cheeks bunch up under his eyes, in an almost comical fashion.

  No, not funny looking, boyish, thought Kimberly, and kinda cute… Kimberly let her eyes stay on him for a moment, before she shook her head to clear her thoughts, putting her hands to either side of herself, palms up. “Hey, I did what she told me to do,” she had tried to deflect the compliment. What the hell was that “kinda cute” bull-pucky all about?

  “Yeah, but still… man, I wish we had thought of this crap last night. My back is all stiff from having to sleep passed out on those stinky bags,” he had said.

  That’s when Kimberly noticed he was carrying three thick, terrycloth robes and three folding chairs in his arms. “Where did you find that stuff?” she inquired, pointing at the items he’d been carrying.

  “Oh, this junk?” Derek replied with a question of his own.

  Kimberly raised her eyebrows, which made him laugh self-consciously.

  “After I checked the doors at Target, I went to the sporting goods place a few stores down on the second floor. I thought, if it got too cold, we could use these robes. Or if we wanted to wear them instead of our jackets, we could. They’re more comfortable, you know, easier to move around in.” He paused to smile and nod his head at her, flapping his arms to show the lack of free-flowing movement he possessed within the huge down jacket he wore.

  She gave him a favorable nod of her own through thinned lips, a little surprised at his ingenuity.

  “I brought the chairs, because we didn’t have anything comfortable to sit on…,” he continued and seemed about to say more, but stopped himself.

  “Cool,” she said suddenly, breaking the quiet growing between them. “Toss me the robes and you set up the chairs.”

  “Ok,” he retorted, extending them to her, draped over one of his arms.

  She took them and turned to drop each one atop each of their blankets, not in any particular order, because they were the same size, a man’s large, and the same color, white. That didn’t matter though, they would fit perfectly over their jackets and coats should they have the need to really bundle up.

  “In what part of a sporting goods store does one find robes?” Kimberly has asked, an aberrant thought going from mind to mouth before she thought to stop it.

  “In the swimwear section,” the boy answered quickly. “I guess for when you get out of the pool. I don’t know.” He smiled crookedly as if unsure.

  “Makes sense,” asserted Kimberly. She had turned to look at him after putting the final chair in place. She had placed them about the carpeted area she had made beside their beds, noticing, with the food surrounding the whole area, they would have a fairly nice and cozy place to hang out. Not bad, she thought to herself, looking it over with a smile growing on her face.

  Hyun had come back then, dragging a box full of paper plates, plastic utensils, paper towels, napkins, even a few bottles of hand sanitizer as well as some hand soap complete with a dispenser. She had come butt first, so she didn’t see what the others had done until she pulled the box to the place where she wanted it to rest. She straightened up, glancing about. Her eyes went wide with shock at first, remolding into delight right before their eyes.

  “Very nice, you guys!” she said excitedly. “Looks like we just might make it through whatever the weather is going to throw at us, huh?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” replied Derek at once. “Plus, there are a ton of jackets and coats, even sleeping bags in the sporting goods store, so if we really need to keep warm I can go back and grab a whole grip of that stuff. I think we’re set… for now at least.”

  Kimberly was nodding the whole time. “There are a whole slew of blankets and crap back at the linen store as well. There is more than enough to partition off this area for more insulation from the cold if the need should arise.”

  “Ok, good. At least we have a back-up plan should things get gnarly around here,” Hyun had concluded, then another thought struck her. Kimberly could see her face turn expectant with it. “Derek, were there flashlight and lanterns and batteries in the sporting goods store?”

  The African American teen frowned in thought. “Yeah, why?”

  “Light, my dear boy, we’re going to need a lot of it,” she had said gesturing about them. “No electricity, remember?”

  “Oh, duh!” the boy exclaimed with a burst of laughter.

  “Let’s go get them,” started Hyun. “We all should go too, because we should all have more than one back-up light and, because of that, we’re going to need a whole lot of batteries.”

  “Well, then let’s get this show on the road,” Kimberly had commanded, not sure precisely why her mood was as light as it was.

  “Are all the doors locked?” asked Hyun as they strode from the market.

  Kimberly nodded.

  “I couldn’t figure out the ones at Target,” began Derek. “They’re electric, so now their totally dead. I couldn’t budge them when I tried to open one.” He shrugged.

  Hyun grunted. “Well, that’ll have to do, I guess.”

  *****

  Now, some three hours later, the three of them slouched in the chairs Derek had provided, surrounded by six battery-operated lanterns ablaze with light. Each of the teenagers was made lazy from the large lunch they’d just consumed.

  Derek was staring at both her and Hyun through hooded eyes as if he could barely keep them open.

  Hyun was gazing back at the teenage boy with a frown, wondering if he was actually sleeping.

  To Kimberly, he a
ppeared awake, because his eyes were moving periodically. Although, she guessed, he could be in REM sleep. Maybe he was one of those people who slept with their eyes partially open. Eeeew! She continued to stare at him some more. Shit, maybe the nerd was asleep after all, she concluded after a time, for he hadn’t moved anything other than his eyes. His body was limp. His face was slack. She felt a frown matching the likes of Hyun’s descend upon her face. The more she looked at the dude, the more he was freaking her out.

  “So what do you think happened?” uttered Kimberly, willing to strike up a conversation in order to distract her from Derek’s creepiness.

  Hyun jumped at the sound of her voice, which did sound loud when compared to the prevailing silence. “Jeez, girl, you startled me.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to stop myself from looking at Mr. Weirdo over there, that’s all,” she responded, forcing herself not to look at Derek.

  “That’s probably why you almost made me jump out of my skin,” she sighed wistfully. “He does sleep like a serial killer, huh?”

  Kimberly bounced with mirth. “You got that right, look at him.”

  “No way,” replied Hyun, half-kidding and half-serious. “What had you asked?” she queried, changing the subject purposely. “Sorry, I couldn’t make out what you said over my own squeal.”

  “I was just wondering what you thought happened to us. Why do think we are here?” Kimberly was gazing up at the lowered ceiling, following the crisscross pattern of the tiles, sitting peacefully within the grid suspending them.

  Hyun joined her, letting her eyes peer upward. “I have no idea. One second, I was looking at clothes and the next, I heard some awful sounds. My vision blurred. I felt sick to my stomach. I passed out and threw-up, or threw-up and passed out. I’m not sure which came first. But, the next thing I know I’m here, stuck in this wintery land, in a mall with you and Derek.” She paused to look over at Kimberly. “Do you have any idea?”