Radio Nowhere

by Lee Beard

  The boy knelt down to pet the dog’s head. “Hank! Where’s Gina, boy?”

  ***

  Nowhere, OK

  Ira hunched over and grabbed the microphone from the back of the desk. A slight twinge in his lower back made him wince slightly, then smile ruefully. You’re not as young as you once were, old man, he thought, switching the microphone on.

  “Friends, this is Radio Nowhere calling to you once again from Nowhere, Oklahoma. As always, I’ll be transmitting every night from 8 pm Central time to 10 pm Central time. I know things are bad…real bad for many of you. But G…” He swallowed hard and looked away from the microphone, taking a deep breath before continuing. “What I was gonna say is that…God is with you. That He will watch over you. And that you can…should have faith in Him. But friends…” His voice cracked. Can I really do this? Abigail’s beautiful face stared at him from the photo he kept at the desk, a bouquet of lilies clasped in her small hands. Tucked into the corners of the frame were a picture from Marianne and Adam’s wedding, and a picture of Marcus and Marianne as children. Abigail always did favor her mother. Ira sighed deeply, gray eyebrows knitting together. “I was gonna say that, but I have to tell you…I’m just not so sure any more. I know that loss is part of life. That without pain there’s no joy. I know it here,” he tapped his head audibly, “but not here,” he said savagely as he thumped his chest. “We’ve lost so many…so many. It’s hard for me to square that with my belief in a loving God. So I don’t think I’ll talk about the Lord until I’m no longer angry with Him.”

  He grabbed a book off the cluttered desk, flipping it open. “So tonight, let’s talk about danger. Friends, there are no doctors left…that is, unless we’re very lucky. And I sure don’t feel lucky. So be careful.”

  Ira cleared his throat and took a swig from his water canteen. “Firstly, do not do anything needlessly dangerous or that might put you in harm’s way. If you’re driving a motorcycle and have a wreck, even with the proper safety equipment you may die. Remember…it’s a lot riskier to take chances now. There are no more ambulance teams and staffed hospitals to come to your aid if you get injured. Whatever you do, take it slow and easy. There’s no rush. Secondly, if you cut or scratch yourself, stop immediately and clean the wound out. Carry iodine and a decent first aid kit with you. Stop in a book store, get a good first aid book, and read it…

  Chapter Twenty

  Fly, TN

  Zach never liked oatmeal, but he ate it without complaint at breakfast. He glanced at Millie sitting caddy-corner opposite him at the table. She listened vaguely to Kathryn, who chattered on with the occasional glance around to make sure people were paying attention. Millie caught Zach’s gaze and gave a look that said, “Help me.”

  “Hey, Mil,” he began, scrambling to think of a topic to change to. “What ever happened to that flashlight I gave you?”

  “Oh that one,” Millie replied enthusiastically. “I think it’s somewhere in my backpack, I’ll look for it later. Why, did you need it?”

  “Yeah, it’s…bright enough to act as a night-light for reading.”

  “Oh, you read?” Kathryn butted in, swiveling to face Zach. She sat next to him, and seemed to move closer on the bench.

  “Er, yeah,” Zach replied, “Got a real nice…repair manual that I’ve been digging into,” he offered, eliciting an amused eyebrow raise from Millie.

  “Oh. Well, that’s actually kinda-” Kathryn was suddenly cut off by Cleo leaning over the table.

  “Here are your schedules, and your walkie-talkies.” Cleo handed the aforementioned to Zach and Millie, respectively. Zach glanced at his walkie-talkie, labelled with his name. “The walkie-talkies have fresh batteries in them, and if you turn them off at night they should last around two weeks before you need to replace them. Today’s Tuesday,” Cleo continued, “So the usual schedule applies. You don’t have to worry about changes until tomorrow, that’s maintenance day.”

  “Thanks,” Millie said, looking over the schedule. It was hand-copied, and covered in clear packing tape as a crude form of lamination.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Drake’s voice boomed through the room, silencing the residents quickly. He stood at the head of the table, smiling. “I hope you’ve all enjoyed breakfast; let’s give the kitchen crew a round of applause.” Everyone clapped heartily, and Roseline smiled at the ground. “Now, on to today’s assignments. Some of you may already know that there’s a medical supply store on the edge of town,” Drake pointed to his right, “And for those who didn’t, you do now.” Wyatt chuckled slightly. “The scavenging team will be going to see what we can salvage from there while the warehouse team sorts and organizes again today. Cleo will tell you all more about that once you get there. Now,” Drake looked to Roseline, “Unless there are any other announcements, let’s get this day going!”

  “I’ll be right back,” Millie said, standing and heading for the restroom.

  Roseline disappeared into the kitchen, returning almost immediately with a large basket full of brown paper bags.

  “It’s peanut butter and jam day,” Caprie announced. “There’s other things too, obviously, but you know.” She trailed off as a fly buzzed by her face.

  “It’s not strawberry jam, is it?” Zach asked, looking into the bag. “Millie’s allergic.”

  “No,” Roseline said, “Grape.”

  Millie reemerged as the group made their way outside.

  “Alright everyone,” Drake said, “We’ll see you back here at supper time!” Drake set off down the road with Wyatt and Xavier in tow. Zach saluted Millie dramatically and spun on his heel, marching off to follow Drake.

  “How far out is that supply store?” Zach asked.

  “Five miles at least,” Drake replied, “But there's no way we’re walking in this heat.” They rounded the corner of the building and Zach stopped in his tracks. There in front of him was a brand-new four-door black truck. He let out a low whistle.

  “Since gasoline is so scarce,” Drake continued, “We don't use vehicles very often. But for anything out of town, we do.”

  “How do you handle blocked roads?”

  “There’s a problem sometimes, but we’ve mapped and utilize most of the clear roads around town. It takes longer to get to places, but it's safer that way.” Drake climbed into the front seat as Wyatt took the passenger’s seat. “The goal is to eventually clear out all the roads in Fly.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Zach asked, climbing into the back seat.

  “A bulldozer,” Drake said simply.

  “You've got a dozer?” Zach asked.

  “Yes, we do,” Drake replied, slamming his door.

  Wyatt spoke up. “I've driven tractors all my life. A bulldozer is basically the same thing.”

  “Eh, you’d think that they’d be similar, but they’re actually pretty different,” Zach said, clicking his seatbelt. Xavier gave Zach a quizzical look. “I worked a few dodgy construction jobs back home,” Zach explained. “They didn't ask my age, I didn't offer it up.”

  “You're just full of surprises!” Drake laughed, cranking the engine. “We are glad that you and Millie joined the family.”

  “I wanted to ask this earlier but didn't know if it was okay or not,” Xavier said. “What happened to your hand?”

  Zach glanced at the freshly rewrapped bandage. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

  Wyatt turned around to look at Zach. “Try us.”

  “Okay,” Zach cleared his throat. “We got attacked by a tiger.”

  Wyatt snorted and turned back to face the front. “You’re right,” he sneered, “I don't believe you.”

  The warehouse was very well lit, thanks to the row of windows surrounding the top of the building. Unfortunately, the sun streaming through those windows heated the air inside until it was quite warm. Millie sorted a cart of canned food, stacking the shelves neatly to maximize the room for more food.

  “You know what I don't get?” Ka
thryn asked Millie, leaning against the shelves.

  “Hmm.”

  “I don't get why Caprie hasn't tried to go after Wyatt yet. He’s really fit, I’d break a piece of that off any day. Maybe she's a lesbian or something.” Millie paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow at Kathryn. “Not that there's anything wrong with that!” The girl clarified, holding up a manicured hand. “It just doesn't make sense to me why she hasn't even given him a second glance. I mean have you seen his muscles?” Millie didn't reply. “Not that I really mind or anything,” Kathryn glanced at her nails as Millie moved the cart farther down the aisle. “If I keep working on him, he'll crack one of these days. That's the great thing about there being only a few people left: the dating pool is much smaller, so people basically always have to settle.”

  Millie rolled to the cart a little way down the aisle and scooped up a few more cans to put away.

  “Maybe Caprie is going to go after Drake,” Kathryn continued. “Though I can't really see that happening because it's basically common knowledge that Drake and Cleo are together. Not officially or anything, but they're both in charge and have to have a lot of meetings about things so I can only imagine that there's something there. But then again Drake is also pretty cozy toward Roseline so maybe that's a thing and nobody knows yet.” Millie remained silent, letting Kathryn babble on. “I mean he's hot in that ‘camp counselor’ sorta way, so I could see how Roseline could fancy him too. Though I think she's one of those weird fundamentalist chicks, so she probably wouldn't respond even if he did make a move openly instead of just watching her from afar.”

  Millie hummed in response and wheeled the cart further down the aisle, trying to hide her aggravation that Kathryn was not actually doing any work. She wiped her forehead on her sleeve.

  Kathryn stepped closer to Millie’s cart. “So what's the deal with you and Zach?”

  Millie stopped and looked at her. “What?”

  Kathryn rolled her eyes. “You heard me. Are y’all like, together or…?”

  “No.” Millie resumed putting the cans on the shelves. “Can you go get another cart?” She asked, giving Kathryn a pointed stare.

  “Yeah,” Kathryn said with a sigh, walking back down the aisle to the front of the warehouse. She stopped suddenly and spun on her heel. “Well, if you're not going to go for him, I think I will. You can't let that physique go to waste.”

  Millie cringed after Kathryn spun back around and flounced off down the aisle. Well, she thought, this one will be interesting to watch. She let out a huff of air, shook her head hard, and continued stocking.

  Across town, Zach knelt on the cold tile floor, carefully packing the last of the cardboard boxes they'd found in the back.

  “Here, hold this,” Zach told Xavier, handing him a box of Band-Aids. Xavier watched, fascinated, as Zach reorganized the box to make room for the bandages. “Don't let anyone tell you that Tetris isn't a life skill.”

  Wyatt brushed past them, carrying three boxes stacked on top of one another. “Are y'all going to sit around giggling like girls or are you going to help load up the truck?” Wyatt asked sarcastically.

  Zach bent the box flaps in on themselves securing the box closed. Xavier picked up the box with a grunt and followed Wyatt out the door. Zach used his good hand to push himself off the floor and stand. He took one final glance around the ransacked pharmacy portion of the medical supply store, and spotted a small box labeled medical sutures laying on the counter in the corner. He glanced at his hand and smiled to himself, grabbing the box and slipping it into his pocket.

  Outside, Wyatt stacked the last of the boxes into the bed of the truck. He slammed the tailgate shut and stepped back triumphantly.

  “Wonderful job today, Gents!” Drake said with a smile. “I'd say it's about time we head back to check in on the girls.” Zach went to open the back seat, but Drake stopped him. “Would you mind riding up front this time? I want to talk more about your construction experience, and I can't hear you talking over the air conditioner.” Zach glanced at Wyatt, who stood frozen, watching. Drake turned to Wyatt. “You don't mind, do you, Wyatt?” He asked coolly.

  “No, I guess not,” Wyatt grumbled. He climbed into the backseat after Xavier, shooting the back of Zach's head a glare.

  The Diner’s one gas lamp was lit and sitting in the middle of the long table as the sun hid behind the buildings.

  “Phenomenal job today, everyone,” Drake said lifting his cup of root beer into the air. Roseline snatched Zach’s bowl immediately after he finished his soup, making him jump. “I would especially like to recognize the work of our newest community members and thank them for all of their help today.” Everyone clapped, and Zach grinned cheekily while Millie gave a small nod. “Cleo and I talked a little while ago-” Drake continued, and Kathryn shot Millie a smirk, “-and we’ve decided that because of the large volume of supplies that we have gathered over the past week and accumulated in the warehouse, we think it would be a good idea to move maintenance day to Thursday and spend tomorrow sorting and putting away the remaining supplies. Is everyone alright with that?” Everyone looked around at one another. Satisfied that nobody had a problem, Drake continued. “I think after the past few days we could all use a bit of a break, so as soon as the supplies are all taken care tomorrow, we will call it a day.”

  “Booyah,” Xavier said quietly, raising his fist level with his ear.

  Drake smiled broadly. “Booyah indeed! Are there any other announcements or questions?”

  There was a pause, and Wyatt turned to look at Zach. “Really though,” he said, smirking. “What happened to your hand?” Zach let out a sigh and looked at Millie.

  “He got that defending us from a tiger,” Millie stated, stretching slightly.

  Kathryn and Roseline gasped as Wyatt's eyebrows shot up. “No way,” he said, eyes narrowing.

  “It's true,” Millie said sincerely. “We were walking through a town, and for whatever reason, there was a tiger that somebody must've let out of the zoo just sitting on the lawn of a gas station.”

  Zach nodded. “Quite an adventure, that one.”

  “You can’t just leave it like that,” Caprie said, sneezing. “Tell us what happened.”

  The tale of the tiger went back and forth between them as Zach spun the tale quite large right before Millie brought it down to Earth, over and over again. By the time the story was done, it was dark outside.

  “Wow,” Drake said, awed. “I do believe that’s the best story I’ve heard in a very long time.”

  After the group split up for the evening, Zach went back to his room. He was just about to kick off his shoes when he suddenly realized that he no longer had his walkie-talkie. He sighed, realizing that he left it in the diner, and headed back to get it. Crossing the parking lot, he spotted Cleo and Millie sitting by the fire pit and looking at a piece of paper intently. Millie talked too quietly for him to hear, but from the serious face that Cleo wore while nodding slightly, he wasn’t about to interrupt.

  Entering the Diner, Zach was surprised to see a sliver of light coming from the kitchen’s partially-open door. He grabbed his walkie-talkie off the table where he left it, and leaned forward out of curiosity to see into the kitchen. There, standing in the corner of the room, were Drake and Roseline. Roseline smiled and blushed as Drake whispered something into her ear. She let out a small giggle as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, talking seemingly into the crook of her neck. Zach pulled away from the door awkwardly as Drake’s hand cupped Roseline’s cheek.

  Once he was outside, Zach chuckled to himself. Well, that answers that question.

  The next day was uncharacteristically hot. Millie wiped her forehead on her sleeve and rolled her buggy to the back of the warehouse as Cleo sorted through boxes nearby. The back of the warehouse was stifling, as the breeze that drifted through the open front doors didn't quite reach the back. Millie bent down to stock some shelves on the bottom of the aisle, and realized immediately aft
er straightening up that she’d stood far too quickly. Her head began to reel, and tiny black dots formed in her vision. She leaned on her buggy, a wave of nausea sweeping over her.

  “Help,” she said, “I could use some help if someone’s not busy.” She started to sway back and forth as Cleo stuck her head into the aisle.

  “What's wrong?”

  “Help me get to the front,” she said, waving Cleo over. “I'm about to pass out, it’s too hot.” Cleo wrapped an arm around her back and quickly helped her to the front of the warehouse, passing everyone else on the way. They all followed, asking what was wrong. Zach ran up right as Cleo guided Millie to one of the lawn chairs at the front of the warehouse and helped her sit down. Millie leaned back, praying that her breakfast would stay put. Suddenly, Drake was there at her side as well.

  “What's going on?” He asked.

  “It's too hot in here,” Cleo stated. “She almost passed out from the heat.”

  “Water,” Millie said weakly, her entire body feeling like it was on fire, “I need it.” The dots threatened to overtake her vision and she felt like someone was sitting on her chest.