“Why do you think he is going to be punished?” Veronica asked her.
“Because he did something bad. When I do something bad, I get punished.”
“Well, he’ll be punished but it’ll be different than a time out or being grounded.”
“I hope they kick Alan out,” Audrey said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Audrey, that isn’t kind,” Veronica lectured.
“So? He left everyone behind and then lied to us about them being dead and tried to get us to leave.”
“That’s true but two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“Why not? He deserves to be punished.” She looked over at Jackson. “I wished you could have hit him a bunch more times.”
Great, they’d really screwed the pooch on this one.
Did he wish he had hit Alan a bunch more times? Sure, but even a hick like him knew you were supposed to teach kids that violence was never the answer.
“Nah, I was wrong to hit him,” Jackson told her. “Ain’t right to pick on someone weaker than ya and that’s what’s wrong with Alan. He’s weak. Ya can’t punish somebody for bein’ weak. It ain’t fair and me and Veronica were wrong for doin’ it.”
“He’s right,” Veronica said. “We let our anger get the best of us and we should have behaved better.”
Hannah nodded solemnly at Veronica’s words. Audrey didn’t look like she was buying it but she kept it to herself.
“Now, I think we’ve talked about it enough. You girls heard Malcolm, we’re staying here tonight so why don’t you go set up our camp?”
The girls nodded and wandered over to the van where their supplies were packed up and when they were out of earshot Veronica turned to him.
“When Lorraine told us what happened, I volunteered to come rescue you guys and Audrey had a meltdown. She was terrified of me leaving. She calmed down when I said I’d stay but I still feel like I really screwed up with her today.”
“Welcome to how I’ve been feelin’ since I picked ‘em up,” Jackson muttered.
She laughed but it was a nervous one. She avoided eye contact with him as she wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive hug.
“Look, I wanted to come after you, but Audrey said I was breaking our promise to her. That’s why I stayed here. If Audrey hadn’t needed me, I would have come out there for you.”
“I know,” he said. “Ya did the right thing stayin’ with her.”
“It’s just...I don’t want you to think that I would turn my back on you, especially after everything you’ve done for me.”
He realized that she was worried that he’d doubt her. That he’d look at her the way everyone looked at Alan.
“I know that. Ya stayed with the girls and made sure I kept my promise to ‘em. Would never blame ya for that.”
“I also want to thank you for whatever it was you did to save my brother today,” she said.
How the hell--
“I know my brother. The only way he makes that kind of 180 with somebody is because they did something to earn his respect and saving his life would do that. So thank you.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m glad you were there for him.”
This time he didn’t freeze up but hugged her back instead. He was unsure if he should pull away first but then she was grabbing a fistful of his shirt to keep him close.
“I’m also glad you’re okay. Those girls need you around,” she said and then pulled back so she could look up at him. “I need you around.”
“Ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
He let his hand slide up her back, his fingers tangling in her hair and he couldn’t stop himself from stroking the strands, surprisingly soft as they slipped through his fingers. She stared up at him and he could see in her eyes that if he leaned down to kiss her, she wouldn’t fight him. No, she wanted it. She wanted him.
And that little revelation had him pulling away, not ready to be making any kind of moves right now. Disappointment flashed over her face but she was quick to put a smile back on her face.
“So were you guys able to find anything at the dealership?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she put her hands on her hips.
“Bit of gas,” he replied. “Plus the new cars. Bet Craig’ll be happy to get in a car with some decent shocks. Station wagon drives like shit.”
“Good to know it wasn’t a complete waste.”
He nodded. “Also figured out the freaks are a hell of a lot smarter than we thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yer brother thinks they’re runnin’ in packs. They even got leaders now. Three of ‘em was callin’ the shots, tellin’ the others where to go.”
“You heard them talking to each other?”
He shook his head. “Nah, just a lot of pointin’ and growlin’ but it was clear that they were in charge. They treed us and then stood ‘round, waitin’ for us to come down. We killed one of their leaders and they lost their shit.”
“Well then, I’m looking forward to getting to that island. At least we can keep them out of there.”
“‘Til they learn how to skipper a boat.”
She gave him a light smack on the shoulder. “Don’t say that, you’ll jinx us.”
“Don’t believe in jinxes,” he told her. “I’m gonna go top up the tank on the van. Check the oil too.”
“Alright, I’ll go help the girls.”
She headed over to where the girls had dragged their tent, the sisters already bickering over how to thread the poles. She broke up the argument and took over directing the tent assembly. She looked back at him as she started snapping the poles together and smiled.
He liked knowing that it mattered to her that he still trusted her. He was used to people being suspicious of him, not trusting him. Having someone concerned about his trust was new. He liked it.
And it got him thinking that maybe he’d been wrong trying to keep people out. He’d always claimed it was because he didn’t like people but maybe he was just rejecting them before they could reject him.
He’d been worried about fitting in with this group. When his past had come out yesterday, he’d thought he’d never find his place here. Now he knew he had a place with the girls and with Veronica. He mattered to them.
It was strange to be at the end of the world and finally find his place in it.
Subject File # 742
Administrator: They told me about the problems you had with Alan.
Subject: Yeah, the guy fucked up on a few occasions. Pissed me off something fierce at the dealership.
Administrator: And yet you kept him around.
Subject: Like I said before, these people were never my soldiers to order around. Truth is, even when he pissed me off, I still felt sorry for the guy.
He had taken five circuits around the stone towers in back and Malcolm still hadn’t walked off his anger. Just the thought of looking at Alan made his blood pressure spike and he knew better than to make any decisions while his blood was running hot in his veins. Anger brought about bad decisions and this one had to be the right one.
Alan had ditched them. It was an asshole move and if he had been a soldier under his command he would immediately report him. Except this wasn’t the military and he couldn’t just call the MPs and have them handle it. There were no laws that he broke because there were no laws anymore.
Still, he couldn’t let this just slide. He needed to think about the wellbeing of the group. Any of them could have died due to Alan’s actions. In the military he’d never been in the position of being the officer making these kinds of decisions. Even if he was heading up a mission, there was always someone higher than him who dealt with the consequences. He was out of his element.
Malcolm walked around the south side of the building, the setting sun illuminating the group as they went about settling camp in his absence. Janet was setting up the cook stove while Claudia opened the canned food that would make up dinner tonight.
Kim had Ruthie on her hip and was standing with Veronica as they directed Audrey, Hannah and the twins on setting up their tents. Quinton was at the rear of the station wagon where Craig was sitting on the tailgate, letting the doctor check his stitches.
Here they were, the group that he had decided to join up with. He had thought he had been the one to create the group, to pick who was with them but that wasn’t the case. They had come together by chance, really.
Not that the cause of it really mattered. They were all in this together now.
Back on the highway outside of Fort Lee, he had told Janet that if any of the strangers threatened their survival, he would cut the rest of them off. But that had been when they were strangers who meant nothing to him. That had changed during their time on the road and now all of them, even Alan, meant something to him.
He might not like Alan but he was a part of this group and any punishment put down on Alan meant a punishment on Jenny.
Malcolm smiled as Trey approached him. The young man still had his rifle in hand, the weapon now a comfortable fit for him. It was something he should be glad to see. His lessons had worked and the young man was now able to protect himself and his mother. Yet it was another reminder that these people had come to him as civilians, not soldiers, and they were all still finding their way in this world.
“So, what are you doing to do?” Trey asked him.
“Plan is we stay here tonight. We have to pass the dealership to get to the bridge and its best we wait out the fire to make sure it doesn’t spread. Fence around this place keeps us safe from any freaks wandering this way.”
The young man nodded. “Cool, but I was talking about Alan.”
“That one I’m not so sure about,” Malcolm replied.
“What he did was wrong.”
“That’s true.”
“It means we can’t depend on him.”
“Also true.”
Malcolm could see that Trey was studying him, looking for some tell as to what way he was leaning. In the low light, it was hard to read the young man’s eyes and he wondered which way he was leaning himself.
“What do you think I should do?” he asked and he could see that the question surprised Trey. He hadn’t expected his opinion to matter but Malcolm was curious. Trey had been a witness to all of it. He had heard all sides, just like Malcolm.
“When things go bad you can’t trust him to help us,” Trey said. “If he can’t help us then he shouldn’t be here.”
Malcolm nodded. He had been thinking the same thing. The only thing that held him back was Jenny. He was about to voice his concerns about the pregnant woman but Trey continued.
“But that means Jenny won’t be here. It doesn’t seem right to be hurting a pregnant lady just because she’s married to an asshole.”
Malcolm chuckled at that. “You’re right. Whatever happens to Alan happens to Jenny.”
“So you can’t send him away,” Trey finished for him.
Malcolm shook his head. “No, I can’t. Not in good conscience anyway.”
“But you’ve got to make sure Alan knows he can’t do what he did again,” Trey said and Malcolm realized that Trey’s tone wasn’t demanding or protesting. No, the young man was just following his train of thought, laying out the next challenge along the way.
“That’s the problem. Guy already knows he screwed up. It’s not like he didn’t know he was doing the wrong thing when he did it. I can’t just point out the right way to do it and then next time he doesn’t do it.”
“You can ask my mom to yell at him. She’s really good at it.” Trey said with a grin. “Set me straight more than a few times.”
Malcolm laughed. “Yeah, I bet she did, but this is my problem to deal with.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck, the tension coiling there turning the muscles to rock and he did his best to loosen them. The stress of the day was finally catching up with him and he was afraid that dealing with Alan was going to be the hardest part.
His decision had been obvious from the beginning but it was going to be difficult to follow through. If he had been the only one that Alan had abandoned, it would be easy. The situation would be between him and Alan and no one else but that wasn’t the case. Alan had screwed over all of them and Malcolm had a feeling that some of them wanted blood. He needed to talk to them, convince them to see what he saw because he would only be able to live with one decision.
“I have to talk to the others about it,” Malcolm said to Trey.
“What if they don’t want him here anymore?” Trey said. “Some of them might not care about Jenny.”
It was a consideration but he’d gotten to know the others well enough that he felt safe believing that they wouldn’t want a pregnant woman to pay for her husband’s mistakes.
“Our people are good people,” Malcolm said. “They might be pissed off at Alan and mistrust him but I’ve got faith that they won’t want Jenny to be collateral damage.”
Trey nodded and glanced back at the group that was gathered in front of the building. He seemed like he wasn’t quite done talking and so Malcolm waited for him to say what was on his mind.
“I don’t get how Jenny would still want to be with him now that she knows he’s a coward,” Trey said.
“Love is a complicated thing,” Malcolm replied. “It makes it much easier to forgive their faults.”
“I had a girlfriend,” Trey said. “Her name is Tanice. Or it was. I don’t know if she’s still alive. She texted me that her parents were taking her to an evacuation centre and then our cells stopped working. I met her at a party. Some guy was harassing her, grinding up on her even after she told him to stop so I stepped up and made him stop. She said it was brave and she called me her Prince Charming.”
Malcolm was proud of Trey for stepping up. Even as a teenager, he had a strict moral code and the bravery to step up when the moment came. Kim had done an excellent job teaching her son, though he shouldn’t be surprised that a son raised by a strong single mother would know to respect women.
“I thought that was the way you showed girls that you were worthy,” Trey said and Malcolm realized the young man’s eyes had lighted on Claudia, who was helping Janet prepare dinner. Malcolm put two and two together and wondered if Trey had made a play and got rejected or if he was still in the silent observation stage.
“Like I said, it’s complicated,” Malcolm said. “I’ll tell you something that I wished someone had told me a long time ago because it would have saved me some pain. You can’t convince a woman to love you. There isn’t any magic list of things you do to make a woman care about you.”
Judging by the droop in his shoulders, that wasn’t the answer Trey had wanted but Malcolm wasn’t about to lie to him. Still, he wanted to give him something to have hope in.
“You just have to be yourself and let her get to know you. Give her the chance to see who you are and see if you’re the kind of man she wants,” he said. “It takes time for that to happen. Not every relationship is love at first sight.”
That seemed to help Trey and he stood a bit straighter.
“Come on,” Malcolm said, slinging an arm over his shoulder and directing the both of them towards the building. “You should help with dinner. Women love a man who can cook.”
Trey smiled and broke off from him when they neared Janet and Claudia, giving him one last glance over his shoulder. “Thanks, Malcolm.”
“No problem, son,” Malcolm said and went over to the building in the front of the lot.
The place was well lit as the pink rays of the setting sun pierced through the windows that lined the front of the small building. It was a fairly spartan building, just a large room with a counter and a small waiting area with cheap plastic chairs. The walls of the front room displayed mock ups of the type of stones and bricks that were available for sale. There was a small bathroom and an office in back but they had shut them up after making sure they were empty.
Alan sat in one o
f the chairs in the waiting area, flanked on either side by Jenny and Lorraine. He looked up when Malcolm entered and Malcolm felt a pang of sympathy for the man. Both his nostrils were stuffed with bloody gauze and his eyes were already starting to darken and swell.
“Do you ladies mind if I talk with Alan alone?” Malcolm asked.
Lorraine nodded and closed up the first aid kit in her lap, standing up and waiting for Jenny who was hesitating, looking between Malcolm and her husband.
“S’okay,” Alan said, patting his wife on the knee and Malcolm had to give the man credit for being willing to face him. Maybe he wasn’t all coward in there.
Jenny leaned in and softly kissed Alan’s cheek before standing up and following Lorraine outside. Malcolm waited until they were well away before he turned back to Alan.
“What happened today can never happen again,” Malcolm started. “For us to be an effective team, we have to be able to trust each other. We have to be able to depend on each other. Without trust, we can’t work together.”
Malcolm crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at Alan. “After today, we can’t trust you. It wasn’t just that you left us, it was that you tried to cover it up by lying to the others.”
“I wasn’t trying to cover it up, I just thought--”
“Bullshit!” Malcolm said, his anger flashing back to life. “You tried to get them to abandon us. See, I could forgive you panicking back at the dealership but coming back here and lying to my family? I don’t think I can forgive that.”
Alan looked up at him, his expression blank for a moment before his familiar sneer fell back in place.
“So, what? I get cut loose ‘cause I’m a liar?”
“I’m not going to cut you loose.”
“Well, the mighty and benevolent Malcolm has deigned me the right to stay in his perfect group. How kind of you. What do I have to do? Pledge my life to the group? Swear that I’ll die for the greater good?”
Alan’s smugness set Malcolm’s teeth on edge and he was ready to lash out at the man but Alan wasn’t done yet.
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