by Skylar Finn
“It’s not a safe space if my father’s there,” Walt snapped.
“Walt has daddy issues,” Paul stage-whispered.
Walt aimed a punch at Paul’s midsection, but the older brother slipped out of the way. Ailani caught Walt before he lost his balance. Paul’s expression hardened.
“You know I’ve been out here every night looking for you?” he asked Walt. “Hoping that you would come to your senses and find your way home? Hoping I’d run into you in the woods like I did tonight so I could bring you home safe? And this is what I get.”
“You wanted to rescue me, huh?” Walt said viciously. “I don’t buy it. You’re the golden child. Always have been. Mom and Dad could pay better attention to you once I wasn’t tarnishing their precious reputations again.”
“Shut up, man!” Paul pounded his fist against the nearest RV, and it made a sound like crushing a Coke can. “Shut up for once in your life and listen to me. I never agreed with Dad, okay? I don’t care if you’re gay or whatever. You’re still my brother. I tried to defend you, but you did some crazy shit, Walt. You did crazy shit.”
Ailani looked back and forth between the brothers. The tension between them was stretched like a taut band, waiting to snap. She had never seen Walt so enraged, but she had also never seen him so caught off guard. Walt had never told Ailani what happened between him and his family, or why he had been kicked out of the house when he was a teenager.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Paul said, his voice softening. “It was years ago. We’ve all changed, and the world is at the end of its rope. I’m not going to lose my little brother again. Not like this. You’re coming home with me.”
Paul stuck out his hand. Walt stared at it for several moments. Then he met it with his own hand. Paul pulled him forward, and the brothers embraced.
“I missed you, man,” Paul said. “I’ve been worried.”
“Whatever,” Walt replied, pulling away. “Let’s go home. Can’t wait to see what Mom and Dad are going to think about this.”
“I’ll convince them to let you stay,” Paul promise. “All of you. You’re going to be glad you came with me. We’ve got the whole set-up.”
Paul wasn’t exaggerating. It was an hour walk to the Dailey home, though when Paul declared they were almost there, Ailani saw no hint of a subdivision or other houses. Finally, the trees parted, and they approached a massive iron and gold gate. Beyond it sat a mansion four times the size of Trip’s Malibu beach house. The yard was acres wide. A garage and a pool house sat separately from the main house. Each building was crafted from heavy stones. The entire place was a work of art, more like a royal palace than a house. Ailani could never imagine Walt growing up here.
“This is where you lived?” she asked him.
“Briefly,” he replied.
Paul used a special key to open the pedestrian gate to the left of the massive, ornate driveway. He waved Keiko and Ailani through, but Walt lingered outside.
“I don’t know if I can do it,” he said.
“It’ll be fine,” Paul replied.
“I wasn’t talking to you.” Walt fixed his gaze on Ailani. “What am I supposed to do?”
Ailani met him on the outside of the gate and squeezed his hands in hers. “This isn’t about you and your family anymore. It’s about survival. We have to take everything that’s given to us.”
“We could keep going,” Walt said. “We can still make it to my uncle’s commune. It’s not much farther.”
“The commune isn’t a sure thing,” Ailani reminded him. “This is. Please. I can’t leave you out here all alone.”
Walt gazed up at the enormous mansion. “I have nightmares about this place.”
“I’ll sleep in your bed,” promised Ailani. “And I’ll wake you up if you have nightmares. Please come in with me.”
She tugged gently on his hands, and he took a hesitant step forward. Together, they made their way through the gate to join Paul and Keiko on the other side. Paul clapped Walt on the back.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked.
“That wasn’t the hard part,” Walt replied.
They walked across the grounds. The dewy grass glistened as dusk fell. The shadow of the mansion overtook them, and Paul paused outside the front door.
“Walt’s right,” he said. “This might be a shit show. It’s best to warn you.”
He knocked on the front door. After a pause, a man in a black and white suit answered. He peered suspiciously at Paul’s companions.
“Mr. Dailey,” he said. “You know I can’t let anyone else in the house unless I clear their backgrounds with your father first.”
“That won’t be necessary, Matthew,” Paul assured him. “This is my brother and his friends.”
Matthew’s gaze flickered between Paul and Walt, connecting the dots. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dailey. You know the rules. I’m the head of security, and I can’t allow them inside until they’ve been cleared. Graham?” He turned to speak to someone inside the house. “Fetch Mr. Dailey Senior, would you? Tell him his sons are here.”
Walt turned bright red as Graham’s footsteps receded in the house. Paul leaned against the door frame and stared Matthew down. Matthew didn’t waver. He was an older man, in his fifties perhaps, but his blocky frame and firm stance spoke of intense physical capabilities. Ailani noticed the left pocket of his jacket was hanging lower than the right, a sure sign he carried a handgun in it.
“You slipped out again,” Matthew said to Paul, breaking the silence at last. “How’d you manage this time?”
Paul grinned. “Like I’m going to tell you.”
Matthew’s lip curled. “There are protocols in place for a reason, Mr. Dailey. I need you to check in and out with me whenever you leave the grounds. Your father—”
He was cut off as Graham—who turned out to be another security officer dressed identically to Matthew—returned to the front door. “Mr. Dailey Senior is on his way. Also, the supplies truck is here, and the driver needs you to give him access to the front gate.”
Matthew checked a handheld monitor, flipping through a series of security camera angles from around the property until he reached the one monitoring the driveway gate. “I recognize the driver. Authorize his entrance, Graham.”
Graham reported to a hidden panel near the intercom station at the front door and punched in a four-digit code. The gate at the bottom of the driveway opened up—apparently lack of electricity wasn’t a problem for the Daileys—and a delivery truck came up the brick paved road. The driver got out and waved to Matthew.
“You want everything where we usually drop it off?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Matthew replied.
The truck was an older model, which was probably why it was still running despite the EMP blast. The driver and his coworker opened the back and began unloading crates of fresh food, toiletries, large barrels of water, and other supplies. Ailani’s jaw dropped.
“H-how—?” she stuttered, unable to complete the question.
“My father’s an investor,” Walt told her quietly. “One with quite a high profile. He put a lot of money into the right communities. I’m not surprised he’s getting treatment like this.”
“He’s paying for it,” Paul added. “He’s been funding the government’s repair efforts in exchange for a steady stream of supplies and round-the-clock security.”
Keiko shook her head in disbelief. “Rich people.”
“You should be happy,” Paul said. “You get to benefit from all of this too.”
“There are people out there suffering,” Keiko reminded him. “People who haven’t had food, water, or medical care in weeks. Meanwhile, you’re sitting pretty in this massive mansion eating filet mignon whenever you want.”
Ailani nudged her little sister. “Now’s not the time, Keiko.”
A set of footsteps clicked across the marble floor of the entryway, capturing everyone’s attention. Though she had never met him before
, Ailani recognized the man at once. It was impossible not to see the resemblances between Walt and his father. In fact, Walt looked more like his father than Paul did.
Mr. Dailey was as tall and as handsome as his sons. Like Paul, he wore a suit, though his was silk instead of tweed. His gray hair curled neatly against his scalp, and he wore a gold class ring on his right hand in addition to the wedding band on his left. He held a glass of neat whiskey in one hand and a stack of papers in the other, his attention on the papers.
“What is it, Matthew?” he asked without looking up. “I’m quite busy, and you know I don’t like being interrupted.”
“Your son is here, sir,” Matthew said. “But I need you to verify his identity.”
“You know Paul. Why do you need me?”
“Not Paul, sir.”
That got Mr. Dailey’s attention. He finally looked up from his papers, his gaze snapping immediately to Walt’s face. Walt shrank in size, trying to disappear behind Ailani.
“No,” Dailey said. “He is not my son.”
Walt shook behind Ailani. She could feel his body trembling against her.
“Dad, come on,” Paul said. “Don’t be like this.”
“I won’t have him in this house,” Dailey replied firmly. “He’s a danger to our family.”
“It’s Walt,” Paul argued. “We can’t leave him out there to die. He doesn’t have to come into the main house. He and his friends can stay in the pool house.”
Dailey took Matthew by the arm and muttered in his ear, “Make sure they don’t come inside. I won’t allow it. Get them off the property.”
“Dad, come on—” Paul said.
“I won’t allow it!”
A woman appeared from behind Dailey. If Walt took after his father, then Paul took after his mother. They both had high, angled cheekbones, full lips, and wavy hair. She was elegant and long, like an egret taking flight.
“What is all this noise?” she said, patting Dailey’s arm. “Honey, please. I’m trying to relax, and all I can hear is you shouting.” She noticed Ailani and Keiko. “Oh, do we have visitors? Paul, why don’t you introduce us—” She cut herself off when she caught a glimpse of Walt cowering behind Ailani’s back. “Is that… my son?”
Walt peeked over Ailani’s shoulder. “Hi, Mom.”
“Oh, Walt!” She pushed past her husband and the security guard, sidestepped Ailani and Keiko, and pulled Walt into her arms. “My baby boy! I can’t believe it’s you!”
Walt, stunned, took a moment to respond. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around his mother. “It’s nice to see you, Mom.”
She pulled back to frame Walt’s face in her hands. Her eyes streamed with tears. “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again, especially with this ridiculous EMP thing. They told me to expect the worst, but Paul and I kept hoping—oh!” She hugged him again, rocking him like a baby. “I missed you. I’m so glad you decided to come home.”
“I didn’t,” Walt said. “Paul found us in the woods. He brought us here.”
Mrs. Dailey wiped her eyes and squeezed her older son’s shoulder. “Thank you, Paul.” She laughed and turned to Ailani and Keiko. “I’m so sorry to ignore you. I haven’t seen Walt in years, and—anyway, I’m Victoria. Come in, come in!”
“Victoria,” Dailey hissed at his wife. “Can I speak with you privately for a moment?”
“What is it, honey?” she asked, oblivious to her husband’s strife as she ushered Paul, Walt, Ailani, and Keiko through the door and into the front entryway.
Matthew examined the newcomers head to toe, attempting to keep his dissatisfied sneer from being too blatant. Victoria was keeping him from doing his job, and he clearly didn’t like it. “I at least have to pat them down.”
“Gently, Matthew,” Victoria ordered.
Dailey took his wife aside as Matthew made Ailani, Keiko, and Walt stand against the wall. He started with Walt, patting him thoroughly from head to toe. Dailey and Victoria argued down the hall, not quite out of earshot.
“I don’t want him in the house,” Dailey hissed. “He’s dangerous.”
“He’s our son,” Victoria replied firmly. “And I won’t let you kick him out. It’s a miracle Paul found him to begin with.”
“Paul isn’t supposed to leave the grounds! He doesn’t have the authority.”
Victoria crossed her arms. “He’s a grown man, Raymond. Besides, I gave him permission to go outside the gate. He’s thirty-five, not ten.”
“Y-you—!” Raymond spluttered. “You gave him permission? What for?”
“To look for Walt,” she answered. “I prayed he had the sense to come home when that EMP blast hit, but if he ran into trouble, I wanted Paul to find him first. Good thing I did. Did you see Walt’s face? His mouth is almost swollen shut.”
“He probably deserved it,” Raymond growled.
She swatted him with the back of her hand. “Listen to me, Raymond Dailey. I refuse to be your mousy little wife anymore. I have a say in things now. I don’t care what happened between you and your son all those years ago. This is a chance to start fresh, and I’ll be damned if I let a chance like this pass us by. You will let him and his friends stay here for as long as they want. Do you understand me?”
Raymond glared at his wife, but she didn’t fold. “Fine,” he said. “They can have the pool house. I don’t want them in the main house.”
“Excellent.” Victoria waved her husband away. “Off you go. Your negative energy is so thick I can practically drink it with a straw. I’ll let you know when I get them settled.”
But Raymond wouldn’t go without putting up at least a little bit of a fight. Before he walked off, he went up to Walt. Though they were almost the same height, Walt shrank in his father’s presence, making it seem like the older man towered over him.
“If you make any trouble,” Raymond warned his youngest son, “any trouble at all, and I will have you thrown out of this house so quickly, you’ll have to treat your ass for third degree burns. Do you understand me?”
Walt did not reward him with a reply, so the eldest Mr. Dailey turned his back on his sons and retreated to the depths of the mansion. Victoria smiled warmly at the newcomers.
“Come on, sweethearts,” she said. “I’ll show you to the pool house.”
Keiko was the first to follow her. Ailani lingered behind with Walt.
“So that’s your dad, huh?”
“The bastard himself.”
16
The pool house was anything but dainty. It was smaller than the main house, but it was just as luxurious. The open plan of the first floor made sure every guest got a view of the sparkling swimming pool outside no matter where you stood in the room. There were three bedrooms, a master bathroom with a spa tub and a sauna, and a spare bathroom. Upstairs, there was more space to relax as well as a wide balcony to enjoy the acres upon acres of land the Daileys owned.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Victoria said as Ailani and Keiko gazed open-mouthed around the opulent suite. Walt stared glumly at the ground. “Take a shower. You three look like you need it. The water shuts off automatically after thirty seconds, so you’ll have to keep hitting the button. It’s annoying but necessary. It keeps us from wasting too much.”
Ailani examined the light fixture over the dining table. The bulbs shone brightly, without regard to the nation-wide blackout. “How do you have electricity?”
“We have emergency generators.”
“The EMP blast should have knocked those out too.”
“Yes, my husband explained that to me.” Victoria rested a hand on the back of an exquisite armchair, the diamond on her ring finger catching the light of the chandelier. “He’s always going on about something or other. Apparently, our generators are in some kind of grounded cage? Anyway, it kept them safe and working after the blast. It’s a good thing Raymond’s so paranoid, huh?”
“It runs in the family,” Walt commented. “But you ostracized Uncle Xavier for t
he same kind of paranoia because he didn’t have the money to fund his.”
“Walt,” Victoria said calmly. “Let’s not dredge up the past. Your father and his brother were simply different, not unlike you and Paul. They naturally grew apart. We respect Xavier’s decision to live his life the way he chose to.”
“Really?” Walt’s voice trembled. “You mean the same way you respected my decision to live my life the way I wanted?”
Victoria reached for Walt, but he stepped beyond her grasp. “Honey, I never resented you for your choices. It wasn’t my decision—”
“You never defended me either,” Walt replied. “You let him tell you what to do with me.”
“And I’m sorry for that.” Though her tone was firm, her eyes shone with potential tears. “I wasn’t brave enough to stand up to him back then, but things have changed. Please stay with us. You’re safe here. You have fresh food and water. You have your own home. You don’t have to see your father if you don’t want to. Just check in with me every once in a while. That’s all I ask of you.”
Walt refused to make eye contact with her. “Fine. Whatever.”
Victoria shook off her emotions and pasted her smile on. She patted Ailani and Keiko on their backs. “You girls make yourselves at home. Let us know if you need anything. When you’re ready to eat, you can page the kitchen over the intercom. Our chef will prepare whatever you’d like. Within limits, of course. We only order a certain amount of food per week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a decent steak tonight!”
Her words hung like shattered glass in the air. Everyone was thinking it, but no one said it out loud. How was it possible that Walt’s family was sitting pretty in their mansion, eating steak dinners and showering every day while other people died on the streets because they couldn’t find anything to eat?
Victoria cleared her throat. “I have somethings to get done if you all don’t mind. Feel free to use the pool if you’d like. We also have a small golf course out in the yard if you want to stretch your legs and get some exercise. I’ll check back on you later.”