Genesis Virus

by Pinto, Daniel

  Queen squeezes her fists in delight. “People are defined by how they react to situations. That’s what life is, reacting and showing who you are everyday. You can think to yourself I’m this kind of person, but at the end of the day, how you react everyday is what determines who you are, nothing else.”

  Alternating movements, gunfire and honking like a synchronized light show, all the cars cage the beast in a delicate dance with Matador finesse, the animal is wounded, but it’s still treacherous until its death.

  David says. “Where do they lead them?”

  “Some cliffs a few miles from here. My Cliffs of Dover.”

  David continues to watch, soaking in the ingenuity and carnage, the closest thing to theater he has experienced in ages. “Do you have any popcorn in this place?”

  She says. “Do you ever stop eating? I have some chicken foreskin and mayonnaise, you can snack on.”

  He laughs as he sees garbage trucks that have been hanging back, gain speed and sweep the loners into piles through the streets. Trucks with a bulldozer design out in front, made of fiberglass and carbon fiber, help collect the dead like snow plowers, so it can be business as usual as tomorrow.

  Queen says. “Those men and women down there are my heroes, they possess no special ability besides a love for their community.”

  David takes the binoculars out of Queen’s hands as she spies around.

  She says. “Hey. Don’t make me choke you out. Get your own.”

  David sees a pillar of smoke near the tree line farther outside of the city. “I think it’s my friends. But I don’t know which ones or what it means.”

  Queen yanks her binoculars back and stares through them for a moment. “If I had to guess I would say whoever it is, is ok for starters, to be sending up smoke signals.”

  David says. “I should go now.”

  “The next wave of cars are about to come out, you can’t leave, perhaps in a few hours, don’t worry kid they’ll be fine.”

  David says. “And if they’re not.”

  “It won’t be your fault.” Queen looks back him over one shoulder. “I like you, David.”

  David says. “I like me too.”

  Queen continues. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  David puts his hands on his belt. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  Queen smiles and says. “Or else what?”

  David says. “Why does there have to be an or else, just step aside.”

  Queen says. “The or else has everything to do in this moment. If you’re going to endanger my people. Try to leave and you’ll be shot. That would be a damn shame. You chose to come here, live with that decision. You can’t control everything or everyone, surrender to that reality. Please don’t make me say bad words, then one thing leads to another.”

  David puts up his hands. “You win.” He turns to leave, still not sure what he’s going to do.

  Queen says. “Don’t self-sabotage a good thing, you’ve come too far.”

  David walks away. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  “If you want, you could stay forever, this group needs the right sort of people.”

  David stops gathering his thoughts. “Thanks, but I can’t.”

  The zoned out Queen says. “Why not?”

  Does she ever listen or is she acting dumb to see if my story changes? Like a detective. Clever girl. David says. “Because like I said earlier, I have to get rid of some of the wrong sort of people…don’t worry I won’t sneak out before saying goodbye. I guess I’ll just rest for now, your majesty.” He bows and notices for the first time, the blue tarp flapping in the wind in the corner of the rooftop.

  Queen follows his eyes. “It’s a flying gyrocopter, always have a backup plan.”

  David looks under the tarp. “Contingencies for contingencies. Not bad for…”

  “A woman.”

  “A mechanic…Dust that chip off your shoulder.”

  Queen says. “I’m going to stay up here and tweak my strategy for possible future attacks.”

  “It’s not the board game Battleship.”

  David’s halfway through the roof door when she says. “Hey David there’s a room with a bed two floors down, take it…and another thing, is that Delilah girl, your wife, because there’s no such things as girlfriends anymore.” How did I know she would get the last word? David sighs in the doorway and Queen smiles looking through the big binoculars.

  24

  David’s sitting on the end of the bed taking off his boots; Delilah comes in and stands in the middle of the room, drying her hair and face. David notices her faint tan.

  “The bucket-and-towel shower is ready if don’t mind taking a street whore shower.” Delilah’s light red curls fluff down to her slender shoulders and catches the light as David dust the curtains.

  David says. “You could live here, Queen likes you.” He’s pretty sure.

  She hangs the towel on the doorknob and closes the office door. “You sound like a broken record. I’ll pass.”

  David pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “Ok, leave me alone, tomorrow I’m going to kill all day and night again. Give me some peace for a few hours. Bye.” It’s been a long day, beaten up for breakfast, outran the dead to save a life for lunch and for dinner I was put in my place by a buzz cut genius.

  Delilah says. “I’m not going to stay here, so stop trying to get rid of me, you care so stop pretending you don’t.”

  David bumps into her to get to the bed. “Keep it down, I’m right in front of you.”

  Delilah says to his back as he takes off his shirt. “Coward, you like bossing people around, but you don’t want the responsibility.”

  “All I said was, I want to be alone so I can rest. Whatever you want me to say, imagine I just said it and leave now.”

  “Fuck you.”

  He closes his eyes. “You must be psychic.”

  She slams the door and he hears the echoes of footsteps on the emergency staircase.

  David puts the pillow over his face, sinking into the Queen sized mattress, trying to ignore his headache. He eventually falls asleep with his mouth open.

  Multiple slaps to David’s face pulls him from his dream of being late to class. He opens his eyes wide, dodges Delilah’s weary arms, and gets to his feet as she falls forward. “What’s gotten into you? Relax.” It’s darker outside, still some light. Did I sleep too little or too much my head is killing me.

  He hugs her from behind, she tries to push his arms down, he then slams her down onto the mattress. Holds her hands down behind her head with one of his as he positions himself on top of her. She flops underneath his thighs like a fish out of water, he says. “Is this what you want? Ok.” The mattress slides on the floor.

  David unbuttons his jeans, shrugs them down, unbuttons her jeans and pulls them down to her knees, revealing black underwear.

  Delilah says. “You had your chance.” She arches her back and yells. “Get off me.”

  David bends down to Delilah’s face, his and her nose touch, he looks into her green eyes. “That’s what I thought.” He lets her hands behind her head go, straightens up his torso using his knees on the mattress. “You don’t know me, no one does, it’s only been days and what, I’m all figured out by everyone now. I don’t need another burden.”

  Delilah’s still lying below David, she places both hands behind her to help sit up to face him. “Why are you such a dick to me?” David’s face is red on one side.

  He looks down, then at her in the low light. “I’m not, I’m trying to do the right thing for you and you keep fighting it, why?”

  She slides down the bed coming closer to his face, tilts her head under his and brushes her soft hand down the sore side of his face, says low. “I don’t want the right thing.”

  David moves a string of hair out of her face, holds her curls back while he kisses her rosy open lips. The skin is smooth around her mouth. “Are you sure Deli-”

  She squeezes the back of
his head, bringing him down to the bed with her legs wrapped around him. He carries her to the center of the bed, his jeans sliding down. Her face is flush as he helps her take off her muscle shirt; He lays by her side, kissing her chest, she takes his manhood in her little hand and guides it as he kisses her neck and pulls her underwear to the side. She kicks the clothes and covers off the bed.

  Rhythmic smacking of heating flesh fills the partially dark executive office suite. They can barely see each other and it heightens their disregard for inhibitions.

  On top of her, he rests his face in her curls. Delilah drops her voice, breathing into his mouth, “don’t stop,” and locks lips with him. She pulls his hips into hers with her fingertips. David holds the wall with one hand, then both, letting out hitching gasps. Delilah interlocks her hands behind his neck. The mattress is banging into the wall. Curtains flap in their faces.

  She turns to her stomach in a quick twist, David lays his face on her back, their intertwined arms keep slipping flat to the sides. David’s breathing quickens and Delilah swiftly pushes her hips into him from the bottom. Damp with perspiration, smelling of sweet lotion.

  Her body shakes, eyelids flutter, she lies on her back to catch her breath. Touches herself as David sits up on his knees breathing in heavily; he wipes his sweaty face with the blanket then lies back down horizontally at the foot of the bed, away from her.

  Delilah rolls over to him, rests her head on his chest, and falls asleep. He can’t fall asleep. Fuck.

  25

  David gets up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and on his way back in the dark, he slips on Delilah’s ripped panties and trips over the generator near the bed. Plumbs down next to a sleeping Delilah, her arms are sprawled behind her head. He wants to kiss her, doesn’t, instead he drinks from the kettle of water and stands planning out the week.

  He munches on some food found from the wall shelves. Not bad.

  After a few minutes, Delilah rolls up to a sitting position and crosses her legs in the middle of the bed; scratches her scalp and tries to see David in the dark. He’s bent over the side of the bed, rummaging through his bag on the floor with his tiny flashlight.

  She turns on the electric lantern. “What are you doing?”

  “Sorry to wake you.”

  She puts the light in his face. “Huh?”

  “I’m looking for my pen. Go back to sleep.”

  Delilah says. “Dear diary I met a pretty girl.”

  “More like crazy.”

  She looks at the new scratches on his back. “You loved it.” Lies on one side with her palm propping her head up, rubs the side of her foot alongside his ribs. He moves to the side, tickled. She scoots over behind him and crosses her arms across his chest, resting her head by his neck. He moves about as if she’s weightless. She tenderly massages the scars on his chest. David’s preoccupied in the dark, so she says in a louder tone. “Stop.”

  He smiles and she says. “I wonder if you like to do this…just to annoy me.”

  He says. “Do what?”

  “Ignore me.”

  David pauses as if to disappear.

  Playfully glowering, she says. “Do you want me to go back to my room?”

  David says. “No I want you to cook me something then go to your room. It will give you purpose.”

  She says. “Wham-bam thank you ma’am.”

  He turns his head and kisses her longer than intended. “I need me time.”

  She pushes him away. “Me time, get the hell out of here with that.”

  He rolls to his back and stretches his arms straight back. “In a few days, I might come back this way to pick you up. If you want.”

  Delilah says in an irritated note. “Ugh, this again.”

  He says. “What if I get a tattoo of your name on my ass, so you’ll always be with me. That way we both win.” He chuckles.

  She whispers in his ear. “Don’t make me hurt you again.” He feels a rush of cold air through his body.

  They lie together entwined, he feeds her the cookies he found. She says. “Not bad.”

  David raises his head. “They say women know if they’re going to sleep with a guy after a minute of meeting them, did you know?”

  Delilah says. “Maybe after five minutes, I’m no slut.”

  David says. “That’s what I like about you. And I like to be used for my body.”

  Her straight face gradually turns into a smile. “What?”

  He says. “I don’t want to ruin it.”

  “I hate you…” She looks at the ceiling. “If you don’t care about anything, why get out of the bed everyday, you care. Everybody cares what people think about them, just don’t let it affect you negatively.”

  “I care that you care.”

  After minutes of David thinking aloud with no continuity or sense, she stands on one barefoot, arching her back. Showing the goods. David swiftly gets up and stares out of the window, his hands on her hips. “When you wake up tomorrow, I’ll be gone, I’ll call you. Be strong and don’t cry.” She turns and squeezes his chest.

  He squints in pain. “Delilah, do what’s best for you. This changes nothing.”

  She leans her forehead against his heart and feels on his stubble. “In a week, if you succeed or fail, nothing will change...so why even risk more lives for?”

  He lets go of her and steps passed her. “Nothing.”

  She says. “Sorry to be so blunt.” No she’s not.

  He exhales hard and says. “How am I going to get the group back together and keep them safe?”

  She says. “You’ll figure it out, but for now, just be happy with me in this Boss room.”

  Smiling and biting her lower lip, she slaps his bare ass.

  26

  Days later.

  At sunrise, the sheets slip off Delilah’s bare shoulders as she rides on top of David.

  There’s a knock-knock on the door and Delilah falls off of David and wraps herself in the white sheets, leaving him exposed. He lifts his head and grins looking at the white ball of blankets. “Yeah.”

  Shadow behind the glass door says. “Breakfast.” The person walks down the stairs in boots. Delilah sticks her head out of the blanket like a turtle.

  David says. “Bring me some food, woman.” She laughs and tosses the blanket in his face.

  In the chow line, people hold empty plates and bottles; Queen and others serve mash potatoes and scramble eggs. Jugs of water are stacked on the pallets near the three water dispensers. David and Delilah walk through the line with school trays. Queen looks up at them. “I was wondering when you two love birds will join us.”

  David says. “Is all quiet on the western front?”

  Queen says. “Mostly, let everyone eat before you come for seconds.”

  David says. “That fishnet hat suits you.” Then slides away.

  David and Delilah find a table to themselves. A teenage girl stops at the edge of the table and says to him. “Thanks David for the other day.” He nods. “Anytime.”

  Delilah watches her leave to join a group of teenage girls. “What was that about?” She rubs the back of his hand.

  He pushes the empty tray away from him. “Doctor patient confidentiality.”

  “My ass.”

  He looks at the people chatting in the line. “You sound like someone else.”

  The line and food disappears as if it never existed.

  Queen drops a bag of fireworks in David’s lap, a bag of assault rifle ammo, a cattle gun, and other miscellaneous supplies. She says. “This is for not killing me and saving my doctor.” Delilah holds the plate of food to her nose and sniffs. David takes the stethoscope from around his neck and hands it to Queen. He’s been administering physicals in the fully equip facility a floor below.

  David has the cattle gun in his hand. “What’s this?” It looks like a small metal pipe with a button.

  Queen says. “It’s not a lightsaber young Jedi. It’s a cattle gun. It’s the only gun
I can spare beside these supplies.” David stands and tries to hook it to his belt. “Thanks. This is too much. Can you spare a map?” She points at the duffel bag; David pulls items with each hand.

  Queen says. “Those Tupperware containers have grasshoppers. They have more protein and calcium than beef, and more omega 3s than salmon.”

  He shakes the containers. “I’ll think of you each time I eat one.” And swings it at Delilah’s face, she quickly recoils back. “I’m eating here.”

  After lunchtime, David made sure of that, Queen says to him on the city’s streets. “You’re not an average person, if you were you would be dead already.”

  David says. “I like you too and Concrete Colony.”

  Up and down the street, men and women with black gloves throw human trash in green garbage trucks. All the abandon cars were long removed from the streets before David’s arrival.

  Queen faces him and squeezes both of his shoulders, looking into his eyes like a mentor. “A sectarian war zone is brewing, with different groups dying everyday. One of my people told about me about a group called The Last Brotherhood, misguided militant sex traffickers. It might be the people you told me about. Lets unite them, talk to this Boss and convince him to join forces and prevent further pointless bloodshed.”

  David says. “Now who’s naïve? Not all philosophies can coexist.”

  Queen rolls a map like a newspaper and hands it to him. “Nothing has ever been black and white, and now we have a grey zone of morality growing larger everyday, eating at our leftover souls…all I ask is for you talk to him before you pull that trigger. Noble passivity never created change, but working together certainly does.”

  David nods and Queen says. “Come back anytime, my days are mostly filled with ennui, boredom, but I’ve enjoyed our random conversations, what the hell else is there to do, right? Goodbye David and I hope you find what you’re looking for.”