by Urban, Tony
“Then what does that make me?” Seth was unable to hide his cocksure grin.
Franklin stopped bothering with the fake cheer. “New. It makes you new. And be aware, this place is like a Ferris wheel. You might start out on top because you’re fresh and have a good sob story, but most don’t stay there long.” He disappeared into his room.
Seth wondered if there was any truth to his words, but decided they sounded more like the tartest of sour grapes. Papa knew he had potential. Papa knew he was special. And soon, so would everyone else.
Chapter 10
The loudspeaker woke Wyatt with a hard crack that sat him bolt upright in bed. His hands clawed at the sheets, searching for a gun, a weapon, anything he could use to fight and protect his family when--
“Breakfast will be served in the dining hall in thirty minutes.”
That was going to take some getting used to.
He rolled onto his side, rubbing his eyes as he shook off the deepest, most peaceful night’s sleep he’d enjoyed since leaving Maine. He was surprised to see what passed for daylight spilling through the room’s floor to ceiling windows as he hadn’t slept past the sunrise in months.
He climbed out of bed and walked to the window, taking in the view that mostly consisted of solar panels - what appeared to be acres of them. He was surprised they got enough light to power this place, even if it was for only a few hours a day, but supposed it was a quantity over quality deal. Beyond them stood hundreds of windmills which spun lazily.
“Pretty cool,” he said to himself.
As he turned away from the window and toward the chair upon which he’d thrown yesterday’s clothing, his eyes went to the bed. He considered climbing back in. After seasons on the road where he slept in the dirt or on hard floors, the bed was like a siren’s song, beckoning him back into its gentle, caressing embrace.
Only now the sight of the empty bed made him frown because it reminded him that he was alone. He thought about his mother and Seth. And Allie. Where had they all spent the night? He appreciated that they’d all been given their own room, but why separate them? The unease he’d felt the previous evening returned with a vengeance.
He slipped on his pants and was half into his shirt when loud pounding shook the room’s door. Wyatt went to it hoping to find one of his people. Instead, he was met by Alexander.
“Hey Wyatt. You ready for some grub?” He was decked out in his usual desert camouflage uniform.
“Uh, yeah. I guess.” He finished pulling on his shirt.
Alexander shook his head. “Get out of those clothes. Take these.” Alexander handed him a fresh set, everything from socks up. “We’ll drop your other stuff at the laundry. You’re not out in the wild anymore. You don’t have to wear the same clothes two days in a row.”
“The laundry?” Wyatt asked. This place really did have everything.
“You’ll get used to it sooner or later, but I’m telling you, your life’s changed for the better. And after what you’ve been through you earned it.”
Wyatt appreciated the idea, but he found it difficult to think that he would ever get used to it. He paused, waiting for Alexander to step out of the room so he could change but the man lingered. Instead of undressing and redressing in front of him, Wyatt slipped into the bathroom.
“What’s on the menu, anyway?” Wyatt asked.
“It’s a casino, man. What do you think? Breakfast buffet all the way.”
“No shit?”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high. The eggs are powdered and so’s the milk for the cereal. But it’s edible and I imagine a damn sight better than the crap you’ve been surviving on.”
He was right about that. And Wyatt thought again that it was going to take a long time to accept such luxuries.
Wyatt recognized many familiar faces on the way to the dining hall but couldn’t remember many names, so he kept his head down and only nodded and mumbled “Hi” when he accidentally made eye contact. Social skills were going to take a while to return.
Alexander led him past the slot machines and tables like they were rats funneling through a maze. From there, signs pointed the way. They were left over from the days before and still proclaimed offers like “All you can eat!” and “Free drinks!” He doubted that was true now, but he wasn’t going to complain.
He smelled the food a good hundred yards before they even reached the dining hall and he hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the aroma slapped him in the face. Without realizing it, an audible sigh escaped him. “Mmm.”
Alexander glanced back at him, grinning. “I told you.”
The hall was filled with residents seated at tables, enjoying their breakfast at a leisurely pace. Even that seemed foreign to Wyatt, who’d grown accustomed to wolfing down his food so he could get on with life. This reminded him of the cafeteria in his old school, albeit much fancier. It reminded him of how life used to be.
Wyatt and Alexander grabbed trays and got in line. He knew there’d be eggs and cereal, but he was disappointed to see that was almost the extent of it. The only other option was fruit cocktail which had the all too familiar signs of coming from a can.
“I might have oversold it,” Alexander said.
Wyatt glanced back at him. “No, I mean, it’s just—”
“We’re running a little low at the moment, but I promise you we’ll have more variety soon. But hey, at least in the meantime our bellies will be full.”
“Absolutely. I can’t imagine anyone complaining about free food.”
“You’ve obviously never had kids,” Alexander said. The corner of his lip turned to a small smile, but his eyes quickly went soft, as if he was reliving a memory that he’d hidden away deep inside. This was the first Alexander had mentioned anything relating to a family, but Wyatt knew better than to push the subject when it seemed as if it didn’t have a good ending.
As the men filled their plates, Wyatt scanned the cafeteria for his family and Allie. It was hard pinpointing anyone in the sea of faces, but he eventually found Barbara sitting at a table with a few strangers.
“You wanna come back and eat in the security room?” Alexander asked.
Wyatt felt bad about abandoning his new friend, but he wanted to reconnect with the others, to see how their first night had gone, and because he missed them.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to catch up with my mom. And Seth and Allie.”
He thought Alexander looked disappointed, but the man put on a smile. “Absolutely. It’s good that you have family here.”
That made Wyatt feel even more like an ass, especially on the heels of Alexander’s remark about children. “Why don’t you join us?”
Alexander shook his head and waved him off. “You go ahead and enjoy your time. I’ve got some assignments to work on.”
“Like paperwork?”
“It’s not all firefights and rescue parties. Most of my job’s planning and logistics. Boring crap.” Alexander flashed him a wink, making Wyatt feel a little better about ditching him. “If you stick around long enough, you’ll get a job too, so enjoy yourself now.”
They turned away from each other and Wyatt moved to his mother’s table. Three women sat with her and Wyatt could see in her expression that she was annoyed but trying to hide it.
“Morning, mom.”
Barbara looked up with relieved, almost desperate eyes. “Wyatt!” She jumped up from her seat and gave him a quick, but firm, embrace.
It felt good to have her arms around him, but they had an audience and he gently shook himself free. “Did you eat yet?”
She motioned to an empty tray which sat before her. “I did. Why don’t you take your tray and we’ll catch up outside?”
He knew she was searching for an out, a break from the people, and he didn’t blame her. “Sounds good.”
“Aren’t you even going to introduce us?” An older woman at the table asked.
Barbara’s face scrunched with mild annoyance and Wyatt
tried to fight off a laugh as she turned back to them. “Wyatt, this is Myrtle. And that’s Meagan and Sunny.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
They smiled and parroted the same.
“That mother of yours is a firecracker,” Myrtle said.
“She sure is,” Wyatt said. Barbara squeezed his free hand. He knew the drill. “If you ladies will excuse us.”
As they slipped away Barbara whispered, “They were two minutes away from inviting me into their sewing circle. I can feel it.”
“Look at you, making friends.”
Barb rolled her eyes. “They’re nice. Don’t get me wrong. But it’s too much too soon.”
As they passed through the room, then into the halls leading to the courtyard, Wyatt understood what she meant. Everyone who saw them stared a little too long with too much interest. He wondered if it would be days or weeks until their appeal wore off.
As if the big guy upstairs had heard his thoughts, the courtyard was void of others. They moved to a bench and sat side by side.
“Where’d you spent the night?” Barbara asked.
“They gave me a room on the fourth floor. You?”
“Second. I think the room assignments are based on age. The younger you are, the more stairs you get to climb.”
“You might be right.” He shoveled a bite of eggs into his mouth. They were lukewarm at best and had a faded, stale taste but it had been so long since he’d consumed real, fresh eggs that it was hard to remember exactly what they were supposed to taste like.
“Have you seen Seth?” He asked.
Barbara shook her head. “Not since he went off with Papa after the big welcome announcement.”
“What was up with that anyway?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Franklin said he’s interning or something,” Allie said.
Wyatt and Barbara turned toward the voice and found Allie approaching them with a tray of food. Wyatt didn’t realize how much he’d been missing her until he saw her face. She’d put on makeup that made her eyes look like they belonged to a model and her cherry red lipstick was downright kissable.
He jumped up from her seat and nodded to the new vacancy. “Here you go.”
“I could have stood.” But she took the seat anyway.
“What were you saying about Seth?” Barbara asked. “What do you mean intern?
Allie took a sip of the cereal milk. “Don’t know. But I guess the big dude likes him. He’s staying in the same wing as Papa and Franklin.”
That was the second time she’d said that name and Wyatt liked it less every time it came out of her mouth. “Who’s Franklin?”
“From what I gather, he’s sort of the little boss, if Papa’s the big boss anyway. But Franklin said Papa really likes him.”
Wyatt looked to his mother and raised an eyebrow. “I never knew him to be the type to make good first impressions.”
Barbara grinned. “I guess he found the right ass to kiss.”
That made Wyatt laugh so hard it almost hurt.
“You’re doing pretty good too,” Allie said to him. “You and that Alex guy seem awful chummy.”
“He showed me around. Told me a bit about how everything works.”
“Is that all?” Allie winked.
Wyatt didn’t enjoy being on the receiving end of her teasing, even if it was playful. Maybe his mother realized that and jumped in to change the conversation.
“What are your thoughts on Papa anyway? Aside from the name which, I hope we can all agree, is terrible.”
“He was different than what I was expecting,” Allie said. “But not bad. Just... different.”
“Well, I think we’d all agree on that,” Barbara said. “But I was more interested in your thoughts on his message.”
Wyatt had been thinking about that most of the prior night but hadn’t made up his mind just yet. “He knows how to work a crowd.”
“I thought his speech was really inspiring. What he said, it made me feel like I could be a part of something here. Something good for a change,” Allie said.
“You should hear what the other women say about him,” Barbara said, her voice dropping a little lower even though they were alone. “Apparently, he sleeps around like a Kennedy.”
That image gave Wyatt a whole-body shiver and he fought to block the mental imagery from his mind. “Oh, no. Let’s not go there.”
Allie giggled. “You’re such a prude, Wyatt.” She gave his thigh a playful swat. “Besides, he probably deserves all the ass he can get. He brought this place together. And look around, everyone here’s so happy. And there’s food. And they’re safe. Franklin said--”
She went on but Wyatt’s ears were ringing with that man’s name. He’d heard enough. “Who gives a shit what Franklin says?”
“I do, for one.”
Everyone snapped toward the man’s voice. Franklin stood several yards away, his defined arms folded across his chest. Wyatt thought he looked like a middle-aged male model. The kind that did commercials for hair color or laxatives.
“Wyatt, Barbara, this is Franklin,” Allie said.
“I gathered.” Wyatt gave a brief wave. Franklin nodded and strode their way. Two other men who each wore black windbreakers and jeans lingered behind him and didn’t follow. They waited behind like mafia goons who only jumped when Simon said jump.
“Morning everyone. Allie, I hope your quarters were satisfactory.” Before she could answer, he addressed all of them. “I don’t mean to interrupt your breakfast, but if you all would come with me, it would be greatly appreciated.”
“Look, if this is about what I said, I didn’t mean anything--”
Franklin flashed a wide, reassuring smile. “No, I promise you it’s nothing to do with that. And it’s nothing bad at all.” He patted Wyatt’s shoulder in a fatherly way. A way Wyatt didn’t appreciate it. “Feel free to bring your food,” Franklin said.
Before Wyatt could protest, they were being escorted out of the courtyard by Franklin and the two guards.
Chapter 11
As his group passed through the cafeteria, Wyatt stole furtive glances at the people dining. He tried to read their faces, to see if anyone was sending out red alert vibes to clue him in that danger awaited.
If there was a reason to be concerned, none of them let on. Most were more interested in their food, but Wyatt nonetheless felt the hair on the nape of his neck standing at attention. Nothing about this felt right.
While Wyatt, Barbara, and Allie followed Franklin, the guards kept pace at the rear. The lot of them continued through the casino and up a narrow hall before coming to a stop in an empty conference room. It was only then, when no other people were around, that Franklin spoke up.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, and I suppose, the theatrics. We just didn’t want to make a scene in front of the rest of the community.”
“You didn’t want to make a scene? So, you and the Braindead Bruiser twins lead us away like we’re being taken to the gallows?”
“Wyatt!” Allie slapped his arm.
That made Franklin grin. “I suppose it could have been handled a little better.”
“Who the hell are these guys anyway? And where’s Alexander? I want to talk to him about this bullshit.” Wyatt looked the two large guards up and down. Even through their clothes it was evident they were roped in muscle. So much that Wyatt wondered if they’d stumbled upon a stash of steroids and were putting them to good use.
“I can clear everything up, if you’ll let me finish, Wyatt,” Franklin said, irritated at the series of interruptions.
Wyatt looked to the women who remained tight lipped. He wondered if either of them shared his worry or if they thought he was overreacting. Probably the latter as the looks they gave him were telling him to shut his mouth. Maybe it was better to let the man finish.
“First of all, it was never our intent to scare you, or make you feel as if we had sinister intentions. I thought
after yesterday that was apparent. And to answer your questions, or demand, I should say. Alexander is the protector for our community. He handles anything that involves our security outside and in. But this isn’t a security issue.”
Wyatt nodded and allowed his shoulders to slouch. Ever since Trooper’s death he’d been on a constant state of alert. Determined that no one else he loved would die on his watch. It was exhausting, both mentally and physically and the muscles in his neck felt like they were tied in knots. He tried to relax as much as he could while Franklin finished his spiel.
The man waved his hand toward the two guards. “These two gentleman, the Blockhead Bruiser twins, was it?”
Wyatt shuffled back and forth on his feet and looked to the ground, lifting an eyebrow. “Braindead Bruiser twins, actually,” he mumbled. He looked up at the two men who held their position, but stared with blank, robotic faces.
“Ah, yes. The Braindead Bruiser twins. Very clever. Ron and William are Papa’s personal security. He wanted to make sure that you understood this message was from him.”
“Wouldn’t it have been easier for him to come out and tell us all this himself?” Allie asked.
“As I’m sure you noticed, he has mobility issues. Besides, if he’d have come to the cafeteria in person… Well, let’s just say that would cause much more of a scene than what we just did.”
“So, what’s this message?” Wyatt asked.
Franklin’s gaze lingered on Allie a little longer that Wyatt liked. “It’s simple. We heard that you’ve been asking questions about being here. About your station here. And he wanted to make it clear that you are free to go any time you’d like. You are our guests. We welcome you to stay, but know that if you’d like to leave, just alert us to your desire.”
“We have to ask permission?” Wyatt asked.
Franklin nodded. “I appreciate the paranoia, Wyatt. It’s probably what got you from Maine all the way down here to Texas. It’s a good thing, especially in a world like this. But you’ll find that it is an unnecessary tool within these walls. The reason we need to know your plans is so we can see you off safely with supplies and with the cache of weapons you had when Alexander and the others rescued you.”