Mac slowly poured a shot into the cups, then a few dribbles of orange juice being that the bottle sizes were much different. But the people weren’t there for the juice, so they didn’t mind. She reached for the pitcher of water that always seemed to be there waiting for them, and she poured a bit in until the level of liquid just surpassed the tops of the ice cubes. As soon as she was done, Joe snatched one up, and took it like a shot. The ice slid down and hit his face, splashing him. He let out a Woo!, and then stood waiting for what Mac assumed was the next round. Everyone else started to take a cup for themselves. They were about to head back to their seats when Magda cleared her throat loudly, and raised her cup.
“To all who left our walls today for the ones who stayed behind.” She gave her cup a little lift, joined by everyone else, except Joe who looked a bit embarrassed. They all took a drink. Magda gave a nod to Mac as she set her cup down, empty, on the counter. “Good night everyone. Don’t forget you have to be up and working in the morning.” Her eyes lingered on Joe a bit, and then she left.
Mac had even more respect for her then. She was sure Magda could not have cared less for some booze, but she listened to what Mac had told her before. And like any good leader, she was there with her people to show her appreciation and understanding for what they did for her, her place, and her people. She took her cup and headed to a seat somewhere that wasn’t too crowed, taking the vodka and juice with her.
She saw Liam sitting with Cara and Jack, talking and laughing. Charlie, Laila, and Mike were sitting at the table next to them. Doug was sitting off by himself at the table next to that. Joe was still sheepishly standing behind the counter holding his empty cup. Nate and the guards were intently telling stories at another table. Liam motioned to her to sit with them. She took a deep breath and realized she was in this for as long as it was going to last or at least until she could sneak away.
The guards left first after finishing their round, tired from their day. Mike left shortly thereafter, tired as well from hauling bricks around and cleaning up the wall to ready it for patching tomorrow. Laila and Charlie headed to bed after a second round, much to Charlie’s chagrin. Mac had become the unintentional bartender since she was making sure no one abused the vodka too much. She’d seen these things get real bad, or real sad before, and she didn’t want that to happen. So she wasn’t too surprised when Doug came up to her for what she thought was going to be another drink. She figured she was going to have to tell him that was his last under the guise that there wouldn’t be enough for everyone else, when really she just didn’t want his anger coming out in whatever way it would after drinking. But when she looked up at him to take his glass, his face showed something different. When everyone else saw it too, the place got quiet, and they all watched.
“Umm, Mac,” he said slowly, because he was worried about making sure he sounded more serious, than sober. “I’m sorry that it has taken me this long.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “But I wanted to tell you that I thank you for what you did for me- for us.” He corrected himself quickly, waving a limp, relaxed hand at where Jack sat, then up at the ceiling to the rest of the building.
It took Mac awhile to realize what he was talking about. It had been almost two months since she had first met them. But the look in his eye reminded her of the position Doug was in at the storage unit before she stepped in.
“Sure, Doug,” she said, sitting up as straight as she could in her chair to show she was taking what he was saying seriously.
“No. I mean it.” He breathed deep and it quivered in his chest. “I ain’t known many people who would do that for a stranger, let alone me. But I needed to tell you.” Though he raised his head high at the last statement, his eyes began to grow wet. “I know I am not the easiest man, but I show respect when it is due.” And he bowed his head to her.
She gave a little nod in return, trying not to look too taken aback, “Thank you, Doug.”
He gave a nod to everyone else still left there, placed his empty cup on the table next to him, and walked out. No one said a word, sitting wide eyed until the door to the cafeteria closed behind him.
“Hole-ee-shit,” Cara said, staring at the door. She quickly turned to Mac and pushed the vodka bottle at her. “For that, the rest of this is yours. You deserve it. I never would’ve thought I’d see the day.” Then she raised her glass to Mac and took a big gulp.
“I was wondering what his deal was,” Jack said, shaking the liquid around the ice in his glass. “He has been pretty quiet and even more reclusive since we all came back.” He looked at Mac. “I thought it was shame at being treated like that, from those guys, but I guess, he was just humbled… by all of it.”
“Ok, ok. So, I need to know,” Joe said, draining the remains of one of his many drinks, “What the hell did you do there that has got all these people looking at you like your shit don’t stink?”
“Jesus, Joe. Saving all of our lives, multiple times I might add at this point,” Cara raised her glass to her again. “That’s not enough for you?”
“Shit, I’m sure I could’ve done it too. What’d you, run in and shoot ‘em all down? Big deal!” he said. “She ain’t so special.” He sniffed hard and leaned on his elbow trying to look tough as he took a piece of ice out of his cup and crunched it.
“Jose, you didn’t last three days out there alone without losing your shit. I found you remember.” Cara gave him a stern and knowing look until he turned away from her.
“Whatever. She can’t do anything I can’t. I’m sure I’d do fine in a fucking cushy log mansion fully stocked with food.”
Jack looked over at Mac then. He and Cara knew more than the rest of the people at the table did about Mac, but still not her whole story. Though that was enough to know whatever she had gone through out there was enough to have her leave that so-called cushy place.
“I doubt it. Plus I would bank on the fact that you either would’ve had your ass kicked out of that place, even if you were some how allowed in to begin with, or just got your ass kicked in general,” Jack said calmly.
“Oh, fuck you, man. What the fuck do you ever do? Seriously though.” He turned his attention back to Mac who was still sitting there sipping her first drink. “Anything. Anything! You. Me. I could beat you at whatever.” His hands went up at the last bit, chucking an ice cube from his glass unintentionally.
“Didn’t you guys already do this, and she beat you then? Like literally, beat you,” Nate looked at him smirking.
Joe’s face immediately dropped at the recollection, a flash of embarrassment washed away by anger. He started to breath heavy, and he put his cup down, looking at Nate who just rolled his eyes. When he started to get up from his seat, Liam spoke up.
“So, what you’re getting at is more of a survival thing? Like who could outlast who out there, and what have you then?” Liam’s proper English accent slurred together a bit after he had started in on his third drink. “Water collecting, shelter building, fire starting-“
“Yes! Yes! Starting a fucking fire,” Joe shouted at them all and stood up from the table. “Who can start a fire first! Let’s do this, girl.” He took a tiny step to the side with one foot to gather his balance.
Cara rubbed her eyes in exasperation and looked at Mac. “You can’t possibly be thinking about doing this, are you?”
Mac gulped down the last of her drink, the ice long ago melted. She took the bottle which had about three shots left at most, and poured one of them into her cup. She took a sip, and turned to Joe. “If I do this, regardless of who wins-“
“You,” Nate coughed into his hand, and Jack stifled some laughter.
“Will you shut the fuck up already?” Mac asked, holding up her glass at him.
He took his and clinked it to hers, a bit harder than intended, but the plastic hitting plastic sound sealed the deal. “Fuck. Yeah.” He headed out the door to the gymnasium. “You don’t even know what you got yourself into, woman! I’ve been making fires sin
ce I was a kid. Read a whole book on it from the scouts.” His arrogant laughter was heard echoing off the high walls of the gym, and then they heard the door to the parking garage open, his voice fading.
Cara looked at her and chuckled a bit while she shook her head at Mac. “I’m telling you, if he wins, you have taken us all down with you.” She rose up from her seat and headed out after Joe.
Nate stood up, already laughing to himself. “I thank you for this, Mac. Really. I have never been more excited for anything.” He took off after Cara, slapping his hands together in delight.
“I’m coming. I’m coming too,” Liam said to them as he clumsily got to his feet and scurried off after Cara, giving Mac a slap on the back as he past her. “My bets are on you, Ms. Mac.”
“Ok,” she said with a bit of a laugh as she watched him trip over his feet passing through the doorway.
Jack looked at her from across the table with a grin on his face. “Really? You’re going to play into this bullshit with him?”
“Eh,” she shrugged her shoulders and shot him a grin back as she got up. “Why not? If it’ll shut his mouth for once.” She walked into the kitchen and filled one of the empty cups on the counter with water from the pitcher. She pulled a strip of the orange stuff they had seen her eating when they went to the Ranch, and she gnawed on a hunk. When she was done chewing, she slowly drained her glass of water, drinking every drop, then walked back out where Jack was standing at their table.
“Safety first,” she said, holding the pitcher out to him and he took it.
“Yeah, Joe catching the Block on fire does sound plausible,” he said.
He picked up his cup with his second drink in it and started for the door. Mac grabbed hers and followed. When they got to the garage, the door to the ramp leading out was already open. They could hear Cara and Joe yelling at each other, and Nate laughing hysterically.
“You have to quiet down, you idiot!” she hissed at him with a loud whisper.
“You gotta help me. You’re my partner!” he said back to Cara. He looked at Mac as she walked over to them. “It’s fair! It’s fair. Jack will be your partner. It’s fair!”
Jack held up his hands, still holding the pitcher and his glass. “How am I involved in this now?”
Nate and Liam were sitting at one of the weathered picnic tables watching the scene. Cara was standing where other cars were parked outside. The ground was pretty worn down, mostly dirt, a few sporadic dried grass shoots sticking up here and there.
“I’ve been helping your ass since the day we met,” Cara loudly whispered again at Joe as she watched him scrambling around underneath one of the trees gathering up sticks, pieces of bark, and dried grass in his arms.
He ran over to her, dropping them all down at her feet, then dropping himself down next to that. “Come on. Sit down! We’ve gotta get started.” He looked over at Mac who was still standing at the picnic table watching him with amusement. He started whispering instructions to Cara in an attempt to keep his fire starting secrets to himself.
“Shouldn’t you be getting started?” Jack asked, setting the pitcher down on the table. “I will never forgive you if you let him win,” he joked. He sat on the empty bench across from Nate and Liam who was now slumped on top of the table with his head in his hands, watching the scene with drooping eyes.
“What do you mean me, partner?” she said as she bent down and grabbed a few handfuls of brown grass out of the dark. “Get a few sticks and whatever else that you find that’s dry.”
Jack exhaled and shook his head as he stood back up, looking around the ground lit up by the light creeping up out of the garage door. When he had a good armful of sticks, he walked to Mac who was sitting a few feet from Joe, watching as he feverishly rolled a stick in-between his hands on a piece of bark while Cara used a flat rock to keep it down. Cara looked at them with a side eye and shook her head, annoyed. Jack gave Cara a toothy grin and sat next to Mac, dropping all the sticks in between them as she sipped her drink.
“Oh, I see you’re really working hard for this?” he said as he wiped his hands on his pants. “Do you need me to get a piece of bark or something?”
“Nope,” she said lazily as she sipped. Then she leaned back on her elbows and started to dig the heal of one of her boots into the ground, creating a fairly wide, but not too deep hole. He watched her as she put in her pile of dried grass. Then one by one placed the sticks he had collected over it, breaking a few when they were too big. She stacked them up making a little bonfire like configuration that filled the hole and rose out a few inches.
Jack watched as she moved slowly, taking her time. Finally she got up and knelt by their little pit, reaching into her pocket. She looked past Jack at Joe still fiercely rubbing the stick to the bark. She looked over at the table. Liam was now sleeping, face smooshed on to the top of it. Nate was laughing as he watched Joe working so hard and seriously.
“I smell smoke! I smell smoke!” Joe yelped.
“Sure you do, buddy! Keep working!” Nate whispered to him in fake encouragement and slapped his knee as he laughed more.
Mac grabbed her cup off the ground next to her, one more good sized swallow left. Jack watched as he thought she was going to finish it off, but she dumped it onto the sticks. Then she put her hand over the pile and he heard the click as a lighter caught in her hand, and the thing went up.
“Holy shit!” Nate yelled as he jumped up out of his seat and started laughing hysterically.
Joe turned around and saw the flames of her perfect little fire. “What? No fucking way. How the-“ and he fell back off his heels, speechless.
Cara stood up and started over to them. “Thank, God,” and she dropped down on the other side of Jack.
Jack looked at Mac wide eyed and opened mouthed. She gave him a wink as she put the lighter back in her pocket. He just started rolling around on the ground in laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Cara asked Jack, confused.
Liam picked his heavy head up off the table from the noise and saw the fire. He raised one fist in the air. “Yay!” Then he was back down sleeping again.
No one asked her how she did it. It seemed they just assumed she of all people would be able to get a fire going all on her own. Jack sat back up and kept looking at her, shaking his head as he grinned. She sat back on her elbows again and put her feet by the fire. Nate came over after scooping up all the fire starting materials from a still disbelieving Joe and sat next to Cara and the fire. He started throwing in bits of stick and bark to build it up a bit more. Eventually, Joe joined them as the allure of company and warmth was too much for even him.
“You know what this makes me want?” Cara asked, not looking for someone to answer. “Marshmallows.”
“Ugh,” Nate groaned. “A cold beer. I used to go camping all the time with my friends. That’s what this makes me think of.”
They all stared, transfixed by the flames, throwing bits and pieces here and there in until they had to move back a bit from the growing heat.
“Hot dogs,” Jack said suddenly.
“Oh, that’s a good one. Didn’t think of that,” Cara said.
Joe stood up and started looking around for more sticks to feed to the fire. It seemed he was still intent to show them in some way he was a fire expert.
“Oh man, could you imagine having a burger right now?” Nate said, looking up to the starry sky in desperation.
“Shut up,” Cara said as she closed her eyes and pictured one.
Joe came back with some good sized pieces of branch from the fallen tree at the collapsed part of the wall. “I’d have a huge ham sandwich if I could.” He added in to the conversation as he carefully laid a few pieces of wood over the flames. “Lettuce, tomato, slice of cheese, and a shit ton of mayo.”
“Mayo. Oh god, I miss mayo,” Cara said.
“Though the thing I miss the most is gonna have to be any sandwich my mom would make,” Joe said somberly. Everyone gave him a sma
ll smile. “Especially her ham sandwiches.”
Nate laughed kindly at him and gently pushed Joe’s shoulder to snap him out of his memories that could be seen flooding into his moist eyes. “I’d have to say,” Nate paused thoughtfully. “Some extra crispy buffalo wings from the diner, by my home town.”
“Ok, ok. I’m going with takeout. Particularly, straight from the cartons, steaming hot, Chinese food,” Jack said, acting out holding some in his lap.
“Tampons,” Cara deadpanned. “What?” she said to Joe’s wrinkled up nose. “We’re saying what we miss, and I miss having some tampons.”
“Gross,” Joe said, giving her a look of disgust.
“Oh, that’s gross. A natural thing that fifty percent of this world does is gross? You think that is gross? We spend our days outside these walls bashing in people’s heads and squishing their brains, but a tampon? That disgusts you?” She slapped him upside the head, and he sat up straight, giving her an aggravated look. “Even at the end of the civilized world as we know it, men can’t wrap their minds around a goddamned period.”
“Enough about periods, Cara,” Joe looked legitimately grossed out and turned a bit away from her, and Nate started to focus all of his attention on their interaction.
“It’s that bad, huh? Big strong Jose can’t talk about menstruation without blushing. Well, let me talk you through it, huh. Enlighten you on its science,” Cara slid over closer to him.
Joe stood up. “Stop, Cara. I’m going to get more wood.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come with you!” She jumped up and chased after him, Nate getting up right after her to follow. “Now it all happens once a month when the uterine lining schluffs off-”
“Cara!”
They faded off into the darkness towards the fallen tree.
Jack chuckled at them then looked at Mac. She was laying with her hands behind her head, looking up at the stars with a smirk on her face. He sat closer to her and give her foot a gentle nudge to get her attention.
Evangeline, Alone. (Book 1): Evangeline, Alone Page 28
