Torn

by Druga, Jacqueline

  “Long. Very long. You?” she asked, her eyes meeting his.

  “Very long.”

  “Kiss me.”

  “You got it.” Darius brought his hand up, sliding it behind her neck. Then pulling her closer, he leaned into her and smiled widely before he granted her request.

  ***

  The hotel was going to have a billing field day. They called for room service before they closed for the night for more mini bottles of scotch and food.

  Nine tiny empty bottles were scattered in and around the garbage can. The video game controllers lay where they left them on the floor by the television. The game was, in fact, still on pause, with Darius in the lead and three levels ahead of Bret.

  It took a while. A good half hour of timid kissing, then another drink, more intense kissing, followed by teenage-style making out, until the adult in them brought them to the bed.

  Bret was on her stomach. She cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder as she reached for a fry from the plate on the night stand next to the bed. She’d reach, dip into the ketchup, then bite.

  “Sorry, Colin, I didn’t realize it was three in the morning there.”

  “We’re not sleeping yet. Everyone is still wound up from Night of the Living Dead,” Colin said.

  “So it was a good time.”

  “Absolutely, the Winslow treatment was second to none. Speaking of treatment. How is Blain?”

  Bret giggled.

  “That’s funny?” he asked.

  “Um . . . no. Not funny. He’s still the same. No better, no worse. I laughed because . . . Darius was doing something.” Bret declined to tell him that Darius was playing with her back, lightly tickling it with his fingers and lips.

  “Do I want to know?”

  Bret giggled again.

  “Are you two drunk?”

  “We’ve been drinking,” she answered.

  “Then I probably don’t want to know.”

  Darius breathed out, laying on his side next to Bret, “Time’s up.” He grabbed the phone.

  “Hey!” she defended.

  “Hey, Colin. We are really in the middle of something. She’ll have to call you back in the morning.”

  “She called me, Darius, I didn’t call her.”

  “I know. I gave her five minutes.”

  “Oh my God.” Colin explained.

  “What?”

  “You did.”

  “I did what?” Darius asked.

  “You have gone and taken advantage of her vulnerable state.”

  Darius crinkled a brow that Colin could not see. He shook his head, watching Bret nonchalantly eat the fries as she lay on her stomach. “She is so not vulnerable.”

  “You did. You male vixen.”

  Darius laughed. “Stop.”

  “Such a slut.”

  “Colin, stop.”

  “You not her.”

  “I am not,” Darius continued his laughing. “I gotta go.”

  “Dare-Dare, I don’t think her emotionally-scarred children are ready for a middle aged rock star wannabe for a stepfather.”

  “I am not a middle aged rock star wanna be.”

  “Country, sorry, I stand corrected.”

  Darius cleared his throat. “Better.”

  “Dare-Dare, in all seriousness. Do you really think this was a good idea?”

  Without hesitation, Darius answered. “Yes, yes, I do.”

  Pause.

  “So do I. Have a good night.”

  Over Bret, Darius extended his arm and hung up the phone. In returning, he brought his lips to her back again. “You have a great back.”

  “That’s because it’s strong from people always being on it.”

  He chuckled. “That was good. But seriously . . . .” He took hold of her hip and tucking his hand, rolled her onto her side. He scooted her closer.

  Bret rolled to her back.

  He kissed her and smiled “You taste like ketchup.”

  Bret bit her lip. “Sorry.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m joking. But . . . seriously . . . . .” Just as he leaned closer to her, the phone began to ring.

  Bret pulled back. “Phone.”

  “Let it go,” Darius tried kissing her.

  “It could be important. It might be about Blain.” Rolling to her side, Bret retrieved the phone before the fourth ring. “Hello.” A pause. “Yes it is.” Another pause. “We’ll be right there.”

  Immediately, she slid from the bed.

  “What’s wrong?” Darius asked. “What happened?”

  “We need to get dressed and get going. Blain took a turn for the worse.”

  Surprised, Darius sat up. “From a dog bite?”

  “They don’t think he’s going to make it through the night. They want someone there.”

  “Holy shit.” Flinging, the covers from him, Darius, like Bret, rushed to get dressed.

  21. Jump

  June 20th

  It wasn’t supposed to happen.

  It wasn’t rabies, even though they were able to trace a case to bats in Texas. It was meningitis that raged through Blain, causing his fever to spike out of control, his body to convulse, and his young life to end so quickly.

  I wasn’t supposed to happen.

  It didn’t take Darius and Bret long to get to the hospital, but it wouldn’t have mattered if they had the ability to fly there. They were too late.

  “We’re sorry, he’s gone,” the nurse informed them as they raced down the hall. “He went fast.”

  Bret turned into Darius for support and there he held her as she cried for a man who had become a friend and a huge part of the survival plan.

  They stayed until his mother arrived so they were there for the news.

  Another day lost in their journey home, but this was for a good reason.

  There was little more they could do but return home, and they did at first light.

  ***

  “I’m not liking this,” Virginia stated matter-of-factly, sitting at the console station in Colin’s home. “I’ve been following it for a week now.”

  “I don’t like it either,” Luke said.

  Virginia looked at him. “Do you know what it is?”

  “Hot spot.” Luke shrugged. “Hasn’t changed, hasn’t moved.”

  Virginia held out her hand toward Luke while speaking to Colin. “There you have it. He’s sixteen and he doesn’t like it.”

  “There you have it,” Colin said. “He’s sixteen. What does he know?”

  “Dude,” Luke defended. “I’ve been researching on the internet.”

  Colin rubbed his chin. “If it was going to do anything, it would have, right?”

  “I study the sun. You study the earth. You tell me.” Virginia said. “Look, it’s not growing, but I feel it’s getting more intense.” She ran her finger over the screen to the point of the hot spot which seemed to be in the corner of Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky, heading straight up the Kentucky border.

  Colin swished his mouth side to side. “Maybe I’m just not thinking correctly today. A lot is on my mind.”

  “Blain?” Virginia asked.

  Colin nodded. “I have to make arrangements for all of us to travel to the funeral, if plausible. I have Bret’s ex ape calling every two hours wanting in the house. Chuck . . . Chuck well I can’t figure him out. He’s been very anti lately.”

  “Chuck is always anti,” Luke said.

  “Well, now is not the time for him to be anti. We have a survival plan to work out. Yesterday we were trying to speak about the invitees to the shelter. He didn’t care.” Colin sighed. “I feel the catastrophic events are something he’s been waiting for.”

  Virginia spoke softly. “He lost his life. His wife and kids. He just needs something to live for. Right now, this is the perfect way to see his kids again.”

  “Swell.” Colin said. “We just need every mind, every body right now, and with enthusiasm.”

  “What else?
” Virginia asked. “Get it all out.”

  Colin shook his head. “I just did. I just have a lot on my mind and every day that goes by is a day closer to the news getting out. Once that happens, our preparations and stocking are going to get difficult. Thank God, Winslow is doing his share.”

  “You mean with the enemy?” Virginia asked.

  “And some. He called this morning to tell me he bought out the Giant Eagle Warehouse. Giant Eagle is jumping for joy, and I suppose their suppliers are, too. Don’t ask me how he pulled it off.”

  “Don’t forget that old book store on 51,” Luke said.

  “Yes, that too,” Colin replied. “Food and knowledge.”

  “Now we need medical,” Virginia commented.

  “We need everyone together,” Colin said, “so we can have one big meeting and get our shit together and moving.”

  “I agree. When does Darius get back?” Virginia asked.

  “This evening.” Colin looked at the watch.

  Virginia sat back. Her eyes moved to the computer and to the hot spot. “What route is he taking home?”

  Colin’s eyes hit the screen. “That route that leads to the hot spot . . . .”

  Virginia exhaled loudly.

  “What are you thinking?” Colin asked.

  “I don’t know . . . call me superstitious, but . . . okay. Think about it. Almost every single big event that has happened has evolved either Darius, Bret, or both. The ants, roaches, birds, radiation, EMP, dog attacks . . . .”

  Colin snickered. “Are you saying there’s something about those two that causes these things to happen?”

  “Absolutely not, no.” Virginia said. “I’m just saying that these two . . . well, they have bad luck with these events. And if anything is going to happen with this hot spot, wouldn’t it just be their luck that it happens the second they cross into the hot spot at the Arkansas-Tennessee border?”

  “Good God, you’re probably right.” He handed her his phone.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You call them. If I do, they’ll laugh.”

  Virginia flipped open the phone.

  ***

  Darius spotted it in the window. They were pulling through the small town to get something to eat, and he had to pull over and buy it.

  He justified the purchase as a need.

  He hadn’t played his guitar in a week, and he was going through withdrawal.

  His whole mood lifted, and that was helpful considering the gloom that hung over his head with Blain’s death. So with his new guitar from the hock shop, he and Bret picked up some sandwiches and followed the advice of the clerk who said there was a nice clearing just outside of town.

  They’d have to go back through town to get to the highway, but it didn’t matter. It was a nice diversion.

  He played the entire time they were stopped. Played, ate, spoke, but never did the guitar leave his lap.

  “This is so sweet. The action is phenomenal,” Darius said of the acoustic guitar. “Fuckin’ vintage and I can’t believe they had this in a small, no-name hock shop.”

  “You don’t believe what the guy said, do you?” Bret asked. “It wasn’t Elvis’.”

  “You don’t know, Bret. It could be. Did you see the price tag on this?”

  “Um, yeah, three grand.” She shook her head with a whistle. “That is one of the reasons we’d not be a good couple in the world if it wasn’t ending.”

  “What are you talking about?” Darius asked with a chuckle.

  “Your spending habits.” Bret bagged their garbage.

  He fluttered his lips. “You think I spend this much normally? Nah. What do I have to lose? Put it on the credit card, I don’t have to pay it back.” After a shrug, he put his guitar in the case.

  “Yeah, but aren’t you on the ‘save the world’ thing. You have a theory.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I do. But the world is still going to shit.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean even if my plan would work, there’s still going to be chaos and destruction. I can’t release my theory until everyone knows what’s going on. And even then . . . Hell, you know the size of the blast I wanna set off. We’re talking dust and clouds that will block out the sun and cause a mini ice age for two years. Not to mention, there could be a radiation danger.” He stopped when he saw her mouth agape. He pushed up on her chin. “Don’t say why bother. It’s a lesser of the two evils thing.” He crouched down closer to her. “And even if the world wasn’t going to go to shit, even if my theory caused no chaos or damage, I think you’re wrong.”

  “About what?”

  Darius dropped his voice to a whisper. “I think we’d be very good couple in any situation.” Darius kissed her. “I’m really glad we decided to do this, Bret. I really like you. You’re a really good person.”

  “I’m glad we did this, too.”

  “Ready?” Darius stood and extended his hand to her.

  “Yep.” Bret took his hand and stood.

  After grabbing his guitar and the garbage they headed to the car.

  Immediately after stepping from the shade, Bret fanned herself. “Whew. Does it feel like it got hotter to you?”

  “Actually, yeah it does.” He opened the car door for her, and chuckled when she grunted about the heat. He tossed his guitar in the back.

  “Open the windows. God.”

  Darius laughed, turned the ignition and wound down all the windows.

  “Air.”

  “Bret. Give it a second.”

  “It’s so hot.”

  “It’s weird.”

  “You’re phone’s beeping.”

  “Shit, we left it in the car. Hope it wasn’t important.” Darius reached down to the floor and grabbed the phone next to the gear shift. “Christ, it must be. Twenty-five missed calls.”

  “How long were we out there?”

  “Forty minutes tops.”

  “Who called?”

  “Colin, Virginia, Luke. . . .”

  “Oh my God, I hope the kids are okay.”

  He held up a finger and dialed. “We’ll find out.”

  Colin answered. “Where have you been?”

  “Are the kids okay?” Darius asked.

  “Yes, they’re fine,” Colin answered.

  “So what’s up?” Darius asked. “Why is everyone calling?” He put the truck in reverse and backed out.

  “Worried,” Colin answered. “Virginia’s been tracking a hot spot that Luke found. It hasn’t moved. We think it’s getting intense.”

  “Uh huh, and that has what to do with me?” Darius asked.

  “Are you in Tennessee?”

  “Heading to Indiana.”

  “That’s where it is,” Colin said. “We just figured since the bugs hit where you were, and the EMP, and the dogs . . .”

  Darius finished the sentence. “That our luck would have it strike us here, too?”

  “Bingo.”

  “Nothing to report. It is hot here, but just hot.”

  “Good. Good to hear. Let us know if you see anything or hear anything.”

  “Will do.”

  “Have a safe trip.”

  Darius disconnected the call and turned into the town.

  “What’s going on? Everything okay?” Bret asked.

  “Yeah, just a hot spot in this area.”

  “Hence the comment about the heat.”

  Darius nodded. He then smiled. “Check this out, Bret.” He pulled up to a stoplight. “He thought we have bad luck with natural phenomena. Like if something was going to happen it would happen because we’re here.”

  “Oh, my God, that’s funny.”

  “Yeah, I thought so . . .” Darius paused in his reach to turn down the fan. “Why are all these people running?”

  Bret shifted left to right in her seat. “I don’t . . . oh, shit, Darius. Look at the trees.”

  Brown.

  As if the change of seasons were occurring instantaneousl
y before their eyes, the leaves on the streets, and the trees themselves, turned dark brown. Almost burning. The leaves dropped to the ground and burst into flame.

  Wooden structures began to smolder, and people dropped. The second their bodies hit the ground smoke emerged.

  “Green.” Darius said.

  “What?”

  “Green. There.” He pointed. “This is just a spot. We have to get . . .”

  Pop.

  The SUV jolted as the first tire exploded, then the second.

  Bret screamed.

  The third and fourth went as well.

  Darius hit the gas.

  “What are you doing? We can’t ride on rims.”

  “No, we can’t, but we certainly can’t sit still.”

  Bret grabbed hold of the bar over her door as he sped forward

  “We have to keep moving, to keep cool. I thought I saw . . . yes!”

  “What?”

  “Tracks.”

  “Huh?”

  Darius didn’t answer. He hit the gas harder and turned the wheel to the left. The SUV jolted heavily, and Bret shrieked as they pulled onto the railroad tracks.

  “Oh, my God, oh my God.” Bret chanted fast, nervously, and out of breath.

  “We’re good. We’re good. See those trees up there. See the green.”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s our destination. Not far. Not long. That means it’s not a hot spot there.”

  “What if a train comes?” Bret asked.

  “There won’t be a train.”

  A long, loud whistle blew.

  Bret looked at Darius and screamed.

  “Quit screaming.”

  “Train!” Bret pointed ahead. The sight of the locomotive rippled through the heat. “Train!”

  “I see.”

  “Get off the tracks!”

  “I can’t.” Darius said. “We’re stuck.”

  Another scream.

  “Quit!”

  “We’re gonna die.”

  “We’re not gonna die. We can beat it to the trees.”

  “Then what?” she asked.

  “Jump.”

  “Jump?”

  “Jump.”

  “No!”

  Darius grabbed her hand. “Listen to me. Get a hold yourself.”