A Good Distance From Dying

by David Carroll

  “Shawn, what all has happened here?” I asked.

  Daniel let out a short whisper of a laugh and Judy turned in her seat to look him in the eyes. It was a look a mom gives the child that is bending that last straw almost to the breaking point. Daniel got very quiet very quick.

  “They brought us into the short hall outside this room and made us lay our weapons on that table. Then they locked us in here and told us that the king would see us soon. Not long after that this guy shows up wearing…” Shawn started laughing and Veronica and Judy joined him after a second.

  “What Shawn? What was he wearing?” Amanda asked.

  Shawn took a deep breath and attempted to get the laughter under control. He seemed as if he had accomplished this task then he lost it and burst out laughing again. This got both Veronica and Judy rolling with laughter along with him. After another minute or so the laughter trickled down and Shawn, wiping tears from his eyes, seemed to finally get himself under control.

  “Charlie, he’s wearing a Burger King crown and has a red velvet cape. But the cape looks like it was a curtain or something. I swear to God Charlie I was expecting to see a curtain rod sitting across his shoulders like in that old Carol Burnett skit.”

  Sass looked at Shawn questioningly. “You watch the Carol Burnett show? How old are you?”

  “I’m only nineteen, but my mom bought the box set they have those infomercials for on Sunday afternoons. I’ve seen ‘em all a hundred times. Tim Conway is so funny in those old shows. Anyways, I was half expecting him to talk like he was in a Shakespeare play, but he simply looked around for a few seconds then said, ‘How you doing?’ But he didn’t say it like, “How are you doing?” He said it like, “How YOU doin?” Like he thought he was in the mafia.”

  “I was looking down at the table. I knew if I looked up and saw Shawn I would lose it.” Veronica said.

  “The fist impression wasn’t very good.” Judy agreed. “I thought that this was a man that had lost all ties with reality.”

  “He hung around for maybe ten minutes or so then said he wanted to talk to each of us by ourselves. He said it wasn’t anything to worry about he just wanted to see how we could best serve the community. The right job for the right person.” Shawn said.

  I looked over at Amanda; it was almost word for word as she had said. I couldn’t shake the feeling that one shoe had already dropped before we had made it here and the other was on its way down. If we didn’t do some fancy stepping of our own it was going to land right on our throat. Amanda gave me a solemn nod as if to say, “I wish I had been wrong, but…”

  “So how did each of your solo interviews go?” I asked hoping for at least some good news.

  “Mine not so well.” Shawn said. “The king sat me down in front of his desk. He just starred at me for a while. He wouldn’t say a word. When he finally did speak, all he did was shake his head and say ‘no’ to some unspoken question. He said that I just wouldn’t do. I wouldn’t do at all. I asked him what he was talking about and he laughed at me and said, ‘As if you don’t know, spy.’”

  “I swear Charlie I felt like he was going to order my execution right then and there. I asked him who he thought I was and what he thought I was doing. He sat back in his chair and looked at me. He told me that I was here to spy on him and how he ran his house. Then he said, ‘As to who you are, that’s simple, you’re Charlie’s boy’. Then he sat back and looked at me like he was daring me to call him a liar.”

  “And what did you do?” Amanda asked.

  “I didn’t say or do anything. I just sat there looking at him. He finally said that he didn’t mind me spying on him that he had nothing to hide and that loyalty was something he prized more than anything else.” Shawn gave me a tired look.

  “After that he nodded at the door and a guard brought me back here. All in all, I don’t think I made a very good impression.” Shawn said.

  “I made a good impression.” A soft, quiet, voice said.

  Everyone turned their attention to Veronica. She was grinning from ear to ear and even giggled a little bit as we looked at her.

  “What did you do, naughty girl?” Judy asked.

  “I did what Charlie asked me to do. I used my feminine wiles to get some information. I can’t help it if I’m really good at my job.”

  Her face had shifted from the innocent child like smile to a devilish “Come here boy and let’s make a deal” grin. The look of it scared and excited me at the same time. I found myself wondering just how many pick up lines had this girl heard over the course of her life? And did I have any that might work?

  “Before they took me down to his office I had taken those baggy sweatpants off in order to give me a little more to work with. I also popped a couple of buttons loose on my shirt. It worked like a charm. The guard was trying everything he could to see down my shirt as he walked me to the king’s room. I encouraged this by popping another button loose and talking about how stuffy it was. He agreed and I asked if he could turn up the air conditioning. He seemed nervous at the suggestion and I asked him if that was against the rules or something. He said he didn’t think so, but wasn’t really sure. He had only been here for a few hours himself and was still figuring everything out. I asked him if they had any cameras that could catch him messing with the controls. He laughed and told me that there weren’t any cameras in the store or outside in the parking lot. He said that this had been a really big deal earlier when they were trying to figure out how to monitor the property.”

  Amanda looked at me, her eyebrows raising as she listened to Veronica.

  “You mean he just volunteered that they have no surveillance in or around this building?”

  “Yeah, the way I figure it, guys can’t think straight while they are trying to catch a glimpse of boobs. It’s like when a guy is watching football.”

  “And was the king trying to catch a glimpse?” I asked.

  Veronica laughed. “The king’s jaw almost hit the floor when I stepped into his office. I was walking around him talking all cutesy like I do to the first timers in the club. You can always tell the guys that are there for the first time. They always have this look of wonder and excitement. I love the new guys. They are so much fun and so easy with their money. That’s how the king was. He looked like he was ready to take out his wallet and just hand it to me, it’s was kind of adorable. But then he opened his mouth and ruined it. He kept talking about how great it was here and blah, blah, blah. He was trying to be all business but his eyes were living a life of their own.” She said, adding, “He couldn’t take his eyes off the girls.”

  “He would look up to my face every now and then, but mostly his interest was staying a little lower. I knew that had we been at the club I would have taken every dollar he had in his pocket within the hour. I sat down and crossed my legs making my shorts ride even further up my thighs and I swear I think I saw some smoke coming out of his ears like in the cartoons.”

  “You are so nasty!” Judy said, but not in a mean or condemning way. She said it like they were two girl friends sitting on the sofa talking about the date that Veronica had went on the night before. Apparently there had been some bonding going on here in Gray while we were exploring the dangers of the farm house. Veronica laughed with Judy and said, “I know, crazy ain’t it?”

  “So, did all your work loosen the lips on the king or is this story being told solely for its comical value?” Amanda said in a tone which communicated that, funny though this story was, she really didn’t have time for anything that didn’t help us either escape or overthrow the king.

  “Well he wasn’t able to say much. We talked about me and my previous job and he told me that there were four other women here. I thought this was odd because since we arrived I had only seen men. This isn’t a really big place if there were other girls here I thought that I would have seen them by now.”

  “That is odd.” Sass added. “I wonder exactly where he has hidden them away and why.”


  “Kitchen help?” Shawn said.

  Judy gave Shawn a mean look, “You do realize that the kitchen being a woman’s place ended in the sixties?”

  “Maybe to the rest of world. But from what I’m hearing it seems that the king is setting up his domain as he sees fit. And I could see him regulating women to the cooking and cleaning roles again. The king is apparently a believer of the men being the hunters and protectors and the women being the servants.” I said.

  Judy sat and looked at me for a moment before speaking.

  “After my short time in his office, I can see your point, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s something more than just doing the cooking and cleaning. The king really scared me. He reminded me of those crazy guys we used to see in New York that would either be wearing a sandwich board or be standing up on a box ranting about the end of times.”

  “He sees himself as some form of prophet?” Sass asked.

  “It’s more than that,” Shawn said.

  “Yes, Shawn is right, it’s much more than that. To me it seemed that he is a man who sees the world in a way that isn’t right. A way that to others would seem…” Judy closed her eyes and sighed losing the words that had just been on her lips, but then Amanda, who had never seen or spoken to the king, finished her sentence.

  “…morally wrong.”

  “Yes!” Judy said. “It’s like being in the room with a wild animal who, at any moment, could decide that you no longer hold any value so it would be okay to kill you.”

  The room got quiet, each person thinking about what Judy had just said.

  “What kind of questions did he ask to figure out what job you should have?” I asked.

  Veronica gave me a funny look, “He didn’t ask me anything like that. He mostly asked questions about the three of you.”

  “Yeah,” Judy said. “He wanted to know everything. I believe he’s wary of anything that could pose a danger to his power. And I’m positive he’s concerned about you three being that danger.”

  “Do you believe he is getting ready to start public executions?” Amanda asked.

  “Nobody said anything about him killing anyone,” Sass said in an irritated tone.

  “Sass, seriously, after all you’ve heard here, you still think that these are good people?” I asked.

  “What have we heard, Charlie? He likes people to be loyal and wants to see Veronica’s tits? Hell, that could describe every guy sitting at this table.”

  Veronica smiled but said nothing.

  “We’ve heard more than that,” I said.

  “What about the missing women?” Judy asked.

  “I admit that seems a bit strange but there could be a number of reasons why we haven’t seen them. Amanda has all of you looking for conspiracy theories. She’s made you paranoid about a place that may end up being our best chance for survival.” Sass said.

  “Time will show which of us are right about what we believe this place to be. I hope I have to admit to you that I was wrong. Experience tells me that my hopes will not come to pass.” Amanda said.

  During the entire conversation Daniel had remained quiet. He sat frowning at the wood grain of the table top.

  “Daniel. What did you and the king talk about?” I asked.

  Daniel looked up with a polite smile on his face and answered with one word. “You.”

  C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - T W O

  Before I could say another word the door behind us opened. Randy stepped inside saying, “John…er…Sasquatch, the king wishes to speak to you.”

  Sass rose from the table. “See you all in a bit,” He said. Then he was gone. I heard the door latch and lock behind him. The room became very quiet. Daniel’s remark was forgotten as I stood up and walked across the room looking out the small window set into the metal door. As I turned around I saw that Amanda had risen and was walking towards me.

  “Which of us do you think will be called to the principles office next?” I asked.

  Amanda frowned, “You will. I don’t expect to be called at all.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “He knows that I won’t tell him anything he wants to know.”

  I smiled at the scary Miss Asare. “But we have ways of making you talk, my dear.”

  Amanda frowned at me, “There was some truth to Daniel’s court jester remark. Not much, but some. A leader knows when to joke and when to be serious. This is a skill I am thinking that you are lacking.”

  “Listen Amanda, I’ve already told you I am not the leader of this group. I will get us to Johnson City, but once we are safe I’m done with this.”

  Amanda looked at me for a moment, lips tight together, eyes on fire. “Charlie, fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”

  I knew this quote, but I couldn’t place it. I turned it around in my head, trying to put a face with the words, but was getting nowhere. I finally gave up and asked, “Who said that originally?”

  “Optimus Prime. ‘Transformers two, Revenge of the Fallen’.” Amanda said with a smile.

  I smiled back, “Nice.”

  “The situations may be very different, but the meaning still applies. You don’t want this, I know it, you know. Everybody in our group knows it. That doesn’t change the fact that you are best suited for the job. You weren’t elected, but instead seemed to just fall into being the leader. The fact that you didn’t seek it out doesn’t change the fact that, though you didn’t ask for this, you still have to do the best job you can. We are in a bad spot here. I will help you in every way I can, but I can’t lead this group. They will not follow me the way that they will follow you, especially with Daniel still here spreading his poison. Fate has chosen you to lead us so I will follow. But Charlie, you have to start taking this job seriously.”

  “You’re right, I took this job. But you can’t expect me to be something I’m not. I was put into this position because of who I am and what I know. For me to start acting in a way that is contrary to who I am would hurt us, in my opinion. If I’m made to lead then I will do the best I can, but I will do it my way. I’m not a soldier, I’m not like you. I am a smart ass, and that’s all I know how to be.”

  Amanda studied me, weighing my answer in her mind. Before she could speak again I decided to change the subject.

  “I’m curious though, do you think the king would be scared to be in his office alone with you? I have to admit you’re just as hot as Veronica ever hoped to be, I would think he would want to get an eye full of you as well.”

  When I had first met Amanda, I probably couldn’t have imagined a time that I would feel comfortable enough with her to speak this openly. Back then I could have seen her putting a gun to my head and telling me to keep my opinions to myself, but when I said that she was just as hot as Veronica, all I saw was a small hint of a smile play at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes widened a bit and then she looked away from me.

  “I would imagine that a woman of my build and abilities would threaten him. He likes his women to be controllable, and we both know there is no way that he could control me. Judy said he was like an animal that she thought would find nothing wrong in killing her at any moment. I doubt he would like to be face to face with another animal that could kill him just as easy. He wants to be the alpha of this place and he knows that the three of us who went to the farm house have the ability to be alphas as well. He’s feeling out Sass now, then he will do the same to you. He will not speak to me because he figures if he turns you and the others to his side then I will follow.”

  “Would you to do that?”

  “I doubt it. You said you’re leaving for Johnson City, and I agree that is what we should do. If everyone else wants to stay here then so be it. I plan on sticking with you and following the plan we already have.”

  “It’s settled then. There is no reason for this king to see us as a threat. Those of us who want to call this place home will stay and those that don’t will leave. How on earth could he see that as any type
of a threat?”

  “He wouldn’t. That is if he is a rational person. After what we have heard though, I don’t think it will be as simple as that.”

  “Don’t worry Amanda. Sass won’t even show up as a blip on the king’s radar and I’m not stupid enough to pick a fight with him.”

  Amanda opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I gave her a smile as she looked at me blankly. I was hoping that we were about to have “that moment”. You know what I’m talking about. In the movies when two polar opposite people get thrown together on some crazy life threatening situation and find that they are drawn to one another. They finally have that moment where they look into each others’ eyes and no words need to be said, they both know its time to kiss and be together. I was hoping this wordless moment was going to become our own kiss and be together moment. But somebody else was watching us as well.

  “Hey Amanda. Can we talk for a minute?” Veronica said from across the room.

  Amanda’s mouth closed and she seemed to come out of a trance, confused by what she was about to say or do. After this confusion cleared she smiled at me and said, “I guess it’s time to bond with Veronica and her girls.”

  This was Amanda’s attempt at humor and I laughed before I realized I was going to. I winked at her as she turned and walked over to where Veronica stood.

  I looked through the window and saw that the only person in the hallway was a boy that looked to be about eighteen. He was dressed in faded blue jeans, and a Detroit Red Wings jersey, in his hand he held an Uzi.

  “Hey man, sorry I didn’t get you more information on these wackos. They seemed to know that I wasn’t here for any other reason but to feel them out.” Shawn said from behind me.

  “No problem Shawn, you did awesome.”

  “How deep in it do you think we are?”

  I looked back out the window to the boy holding the Uzi. He looked scared and tired. I hoped somebody had put the safety on. Do Uzi’s even have safeties?