The four-lane highway changes to a two-way road. There are no curbs, just a shoulder ending at the grass. I stop running at this point but continue at a swift pace.
“Can we slow down, please?” Erika whines from the rear.
She should have gone to Woodbridge. I walk faster.
“Kris, let’s take a break,” Michael says. He’s behind me too.
I ignore him. I ignore them all and keep right on going.
Michael catches me at the corner of Little Spring Road. I snatch out of his grip.
“Hey, don’t be mad at me because your boy pissed you off.”
I growl at him and exhale, seemingly for the first time in a while.
“We’re going to take a break. You hear me?”
“Yes, Michael, I hear you.”
“Drink water and sit over there out of the sun. Calm down before you fall out.”
I take my brother’s demanding advice and park myself on the other side of the road under a massive tree. Michael stands beside me. Gabe is a few feet away on the same side of the road, but Erika is across the street, supposedly an outsider for the moment. Just as it should be.
C H A P T E R
35
After eating a few snacks and drinking plenty of water, I calm down, but I don’t feel well, and my sour attitude towards Gabe hasn’t subsided. And now we’re walking away the miles, which only makes me feel worse. I stay focus on our path before us. The road is called James Monroe Highway, undoubtedly named after one of the early presidents of the United States. I have no idea where he falls in the sequence, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t the first.
Gabe is close to me, but he won’t walk beside me. He knows I’m not happy with him. Erika walks with Michael. This time she’s running her mouth to him. He listens to her mostly.
“It’s beautiful out here.” Gabe’s feeble attempt at extending an olive branch.
His comments don’t require an answer, so I don’t give one.
“A lot of farmland up here. I’ve always wanted to start a farm.”
Now, that’s a lie. I look over my shoulder. I can’t see Gabe on a plow or milking cows or bailing hay.
“My grandmother owned farmland. She had to sell it to help pay for grandpa’s funeral.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, thoroughly annoyed.
“I’m trying to make small conversation with you.” Gabe rushes to my side, but he keeps his distance, I guess just in case I take a swing.
“I tried earlier. You were more interested in talking to her.”
“Give me a break, Krissy. The woman worked for a video game company that happened to make the games I liked. I wasn’t hitting on her.”
“She was flirting with you, Gabe, and you know what it looks like when a girl is trying to win you over. Let’s not play all the way stupid.”
“I didn’t want to be rude. You know how I am.”
“Erika is a shark.”
“A what?”
“A blood sniffing shark. She sees a man she likes, doesn’t matter if he’s taken or not, and she goes for it.”
“I don’t see the connection.”
“Gabe, just forget it. I need you not to disrespect me. That’s all I ask.”
“Okay, I will only pay attention to you. If she talks to me, I’ll tell her that I’m off limits.”
“Good,” I respond with a nod.
“Krissy, you have to get real. We are going to be walking for a long time. I can’t ignore her when she speaks to me, and I won’t. It’s rude.”
I can’t even say how much everything he just said pisses me off. I’m truly the jealous girlfriend. What is wrong with me? I’m better than this. I’m confident.
Really, Kris, really?
“And I will respect you. That goes without saying.”
“Obviously, it had to be said earlier because there was no respect from either one of you.”
“Krissy, you have to trust me. I’m right here with you. No woman I met yesterday is going to ruin nine years of a perfect relationship with you. It’s not going to happen, and you have nothing to worry about.”
That’s what I needed to hear, and I didn’t even realize it until right then. I smile at him, wipe my brow, and wish for cooler weather.
Our walk goes on quietly. Michael and Erika are having a soft, barely heard conversation. Maybe, she’s latched onto my brother finally, but I won’t hold my breath. Michael is a little square around women. He’ll talk to them, but he won’t offer a lot of charisma. Gabe is charmingly gorgeous, in my bias opinion, and I can tell, she likes him. I’ll have to watch my man around her, just in case she starts sharking again.
C H A P T E R
36
We come upon a school and a community center. A sports field is between them. Some windows in both buildings are completely broken while others have holes with cracks. After the church, I haven’t been so keen on going into buildings, especially ones with cracked or broken windows, but I’m feeling sick to my stomach. I have to sit down somewhere out of the sun. I head toward the community center, just in case there’s a horror show at the school.
“Kris, where are you going?” Michael asks.
“I need to take a break.”
“I want to keep going,” Michael yells.
“Okay.” But I want to sit down somewhere. I get to the double front doors. The center windows are shattered. I reach inside and push the bar inward. It’s kind of hard to do from my position. I manage to get it open and walk inside.
“Krissy, are you okay?” Gabe puts his arms around my waist.
Not wanting to speak in fear of heaving my guts, I nod. The world spins and tilts. My stomach bubbles, and I’m burning up.
“She doesn’t look so good,” Erika says.
I spot a sofa in the waiting area. I take one step and feel myself sinking. Strong arms wrap around me. I lean my head against someone’s chest. It steadies the spinning, but their skin is on fire. I try to push away, but my arms won’t obey.
“KRIS!”
I want to say stop yelling at me, but I can’t form the words. My environment turns colors and grows dark. I can’t make out anyone or anything. People are talking, but I don’t understand. They sound frantic. They’re afraid. Something is wrong. I’m too tired to worry about it. I close my eyes and let sleep take over.
C H A P T E R
37
I open my eyes, not remembering when I fell asleep. The last thing I recall is a school, a sports field, and a community center. We were walking on James Monroe Highway. We’re definitely not outside anymore. Slowly, looking around, I note I’m lying down on a sofa. A ceiling fan hangs motionless overhead. A long counter divides the room. Kiddie palm prints with the patriot colors of the U.S. are plastered on every flat surface possible, with the exception of the floor. I’d forgotten about the 4th of July. The holiday was only days away before the attack. So much for celebrating. America doesn’t exist anymore. On the other side of the long counter, against the wall is an American flag hanging sideways from the spine. Damaged blinds are closed on the adjacent windows.
I sit up, feeling a sharp pull on the back of my hand. There’s something in it, and it’s attached to a clear tube.
“Be still,” Michael says, making me jump.
“What’s this?” I’m taped up to a strange contraption. Is Michael trying to kill me? What the hell?
“You’re hooked to an IV.” He shifts my pillow so I can sit up comfortably. “You were dehydrated. You needed fluids.”
A bag hangs from a steel pole. The clear liquid drips into a plastic vial. The tube begins at the end of the vial and travels to the top of my hand, where it’s all taped down to my skin.
“Am I in a hospital? This doesn’t look like one.”
“You’re in a community center.” Michael sits down in a chair.
“Where did you get all this stuff? And how do you know how to do this?”
“There was a volunteer fire depar
tment down the street. That’s where I got all the supplies, and I learned how to set up an IV in the Army. It’s always good to know how to shoot an M16 in combat, but even better when you know how to take care of your friends.”
“Wow,” I remark, astonished. “You saved me.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that. After you finish this bag, I’ll get you something to eat.”
“How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. It’s almost dark.”
“I’ve put us behind. I’m sorry, Michael.”
“One thing you have to do is stop apologizing for things you can’t control. You need to stop apologizing, period.”
“I can’t help it. You want to get to the bunker as quickly as possible, and we keep running into problems.”
“You act like every single one of those problems were caused by you. Admittedly, I caused a major one by chasing those two back in Chantilly. We got out of it okay, and you’re going to make it out of this one. All of us are going to make it. Watch what I tell you.”
“You’re more confident than I am.”
“I refuse to give up.”
“How late is it?”
“It’s probably around seven in the evening. The sun is going to set soon.”
“Perhaps, we should walk at night instead of during the day. It’s cooler, probably make up more ground that way.”
“With no electricity, it’ll be harder to see. It’s best if we go during the daytime. Just have to eat and stay hydrated.”
I notice someone is missing. So is someone else. “Where’s Gabe?”
“In the library.”
“And Erika?”
“In the library.”
Of course he’s in there with her. Where else would my boyfriend be but with a pretty woman? Not next to his sick girlfriend.
“Looks like I’ve been replaced,” I comment, mostly to myself.
Michael doesn’t say anything. Smart.
“Aren’t you interested in her?” I ask, not understanding why they haven’t made a connection yet.
“She’s alright, I guess. Only thing I don’t like is that she talks too much.”
“But you never say anything. It looks like you enjoy listening to her.”
“Sis, one thing you have to learn. When you listen a lot, you learn a lot.”
“And what have you learned?”
“She likes to brag. She is a Jones if you know what I mean.”
“The epitome of wealth, achievement, having all the best things that money can buy.”
“Yes, but I think she’s overcompensating. She wants to impress with a lot of bling, but she failed to realize we’re all on the same level now. Money means nothing. Power is a delusion. Her self-worth isn’t measured by her pocketbook or the man she was married to.”
“I wanted to choke her earlier.”
“You let your jealousy get the best of you.”
“It wasn’t like Gabe was curbing her. You know, letting her know the boundaries.”
“He was being nice. That’s all I saw, but who am I? I don’t know him that well. What I do know…” Michael checks the IV bag, “is that you need to have confidence in your relationship with him. Nine years is a long time. It’s got to be strong, right?”
“Yeah, it is. I feel like it is.”
“You feel like it is? That’s not confidence.”
“What can I say? She’s gorgeous.”
“Kris, if you have any doubts, you need to address the weakness in the foundation. She shouldn’t be able to tear down your kingdom in one day, not even weaken it, and if that’s what’s happening here, then that’s a reflection on him.”
“I hate it when you talk with common sense.”
“I’m just doing the big brother thing. Looking out for you.”
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do when we get to the bunker? What if they won’t let Erika or Gabe in?”
“I’ve decided to worry about that when I get there.”
“Honestly, you might have a better chance at getting one extra person into the bunker rather than two.”
Michael sits back in the armchair. “I have a good standing with Colon, but more than likely, I’ll have to negotiate something with him.”
“Colon is the guy in charge of the bunker?”
“Yes, and our biggest investor.”
“If Erika is not allowed into the bunker, what will you do?”
“I’m going in there without her,” he plainly states.
“What if she won’t go away? What if she challenges the decision?”
“What did I say would happen?”
I don’t answer the question. It’s too much to speak it.
“The same goes for Gabe,” he adds. “Now, don’t think I won’t try hard enough. Be assured I will do everything within my power to get them in, but I will not trade my mother or your life for theirs.”
Michael is not known for fluff. He says what he knows is a certain, and any adverse reaction to the truth doesn’t matter.
“Why did you ask Erika to come with us? You knew what you were facing with Gabe. You only made it more difficult.”
“She was by herself, and if she had to go through the same things we did, I figured she wouldn’t have a chance. If she got hurt, there would be no one there to help her. Plus, she was pretty.”
“I thought you asked her to come with us because you didn’t want to be by yourself in the bunker. Remember, I mentioned your friends had wives, families.”
“Yes, I remember that particular conversation. I am a little concerned about being alone, but I wasn’t trying to bring her in because of it. Now, if it works out between us, great, but I can already tell, Erika is not the girl for me.”
“Why not?”
“She’s too much into herself. She values things with no value, and she’s not loyal. Can’t trust someone who’s not loyal. Too much work, too annoying, too much bull. I don’t have time for fake.”
“Erika might be a good person.”
“She is a good person, but she’s not the one for me.”
“I was really hoping you liked her. She wouldn’t be after Gabe if you were.”
“It’s not my job to protect him from her, and it’s not yours either.” Michael sighs and touches the hand without the IV. “I’ll be right back. Do not remove the needle from your hand. Do not get up from the couch. Am I understood?”
“Yes, sir?” I salute with two fingers.
He shakes his head with a laugh and walks out of the room.
C H A P T E R
38
Gabe shows up with a big smile. His arms are open for a hug. I’m not grinning nor am I open to embraces. I’m not going to pretend like all is perfect with us. He’s aligned himself with the enemy, and I’m tired of being ignored. Maybe, I should leave him here with Erika and let them have a forever after. Perhaps, he’ll marry her in three days, totally beating my record of nine years.
“You’re mad at me again?” Gabe drops his hands. He sits down in Michael’s chair. “What did I do now?”
“Nothing. You’ve been perfect.”
“If I were perfect, then you wouldn’t be mad. Do you think I wasn’t worried about you? I was, Krissy.”
“Oh, god, stop it with the Krissy.”
“You are mad at me. Look, I was across the hallway in the library. I stepped out to check on Erika. We talked, and I came right back. I was here the whole time you were out. Ask your brother.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, you believe me? Or okay, you’re going to ask your brother.”
“I believe you.” I don’t sound convincing, not that I’m trying.
“You’re still mad. Okay. Well, how do you feel?”
“Better.”
“Great. Thank goodness your brother knew what to do. All that Army training. Big Mike was impressive. I told him I knew CPR. Have to because it’s a requirement as a certified personal trainer. You knew that already thou
gh. I wanted to help. I tried, but your brother had it all under control. I would have done the exact same thing if he wasn’t here. The exact same thing. Just so you know.”
Now he’s trying too hard. I can only shake my head.
“I’m dying here, Krissy. Forgive me, please.”
I laugh, can’t help it.
“You’ve got my heart, Krissy. I don’t want you ever to doubt that.”
“Maybe, maybe, I was overreacting, but it’s hard not to be that way when you’re cooing over her.”
“I wasn’t cooing. Is that what that was?”
“Yes, Gabe. You were very much cooing.”
“I think she’s been lying to me.”
“About what?”
“Erika said that she was a consultant, an accountant, and the vice president of development and design. I asked her about the games in general. She couldn’t tell me a single title. Couldn’t tell me about the Easter egg in the latest release or nothing. She likes to hear herself talk.”
“No kidding.”
“And I think she was trying to impress me. That’s why she made up her connection to Herobitbot.”
“Are you?”
“It’s hard to be impressed with a lie. What she says was an illusion of her own making. It doesn’t exist, didn’t happen, not real. I might as well believe in unicorns.”
“That’s too bad she didn’t live up to your expectations,” I remark facetiously.
“I had none, but I thought I would have gotten a sneak peek into the upcoming new releases. It doesn’t matter now. All that is over with.”
Michael returns with a tray. On it is a sandwich, an apple, carrots, and potato chips. The food of royalty. I’m so lucky.
Dust to Dust: An Apocalyptic Thriller Page 15