"You can stand now," the woman commanded.
Danny pushed himself up and turned around. A door stood open where the woman was last standing. He walked up to the opening slowly, stepping into the room. It appeared to be an employee break room. It smelled like some sort of cleaner, but that was to mask the faint odor of cigarette smoke. It had high windows that started at the top of the wall and only went a quarter of the way down.
In the far right corner, Danny saw a man in an army uniform. He was an older white man with graying hair and thin wire frame glasses. The chair he sat in was washed out leather, and he had his foot resting on his opposite leg, watching Danny's every move. Two sleeping bags were laid out on a grimy sofa, and a book sat on a faded wooden coffee table. An assortment of supplies was spread out on a white table that sat in the corner. There were a couple of rifles and a light machine gun that sat on the table with a few ammo cans next to it.
Who are you?
The woman had taken off her helmet and was seated on an old beige cloth chair that looked like it had once been the head of a dining room set. Two brown eyes and white skin were all that was visible from the tan ski mask she wore. The rifle that she had was resting against the wall next to the chair. Danny's 1911 was in her hand resting on her left leg, and his grey faded pack was set on the small filing cabinet in front of her.
Danny looked back at the man in the chair. "Good morning, sir."
The man smiled. "Morning."
"You don't speak to him," the woman said to Danny.
Both Danny and the man shifted uncomfortably. The man looked back at the woman and resumed reading a book that sat in his lap.
The woman pointed at the coffee table with the pistol. "You can sit right there."
Danny complied and took a seat, slowly setting his hands on his thighs.
"You will speak when I want an answer. Got it?" The woman said.
"Yes," Danny said as he rubbed his thighs nervously.
She leaned forward with the 1911 aimed at him. "Who are you both?"
"I'm Dan."
"Right, Dan. Why did you and your furry accomplice almost get torn to shreds?"
"I wouldn't call it an intentional thing. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
She nodded looking around the room. "There was quite a bit of shooting yesterday. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?"
Danny swallowed heavily before he spoke. "The only shooting that I know about was last night. Eric and I watched an Army unit, dressed just like you two, get overrun by a swarm of those crazies."
"Crazies," the woman smiled. "Sounds better than schizos." She picked up a red plastic cup and took a sip. "Guess that was going to fall apart eventually."
"Take it you knew them?"
The woman took another sip and exhaled. "You could say that. All I know is I am not with them anymore."
Danny was picking at his torn up hands now. Bits of calloused skin flapped as he picked at it quietly trying to keep his cool. "Why is that?"
"Let's keep the questions about you." The woman rested her arms on each armrest. "So, why did I have to save your asses back there with old Betsy?" She looked at the light machine gun on the table.
"Just got caught out in the open when those things came around. Like I said, in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The woman stood up quickly making Danny recoil slightly. She walked up to the table and pulled off the balaclava that covered her face. He could only see jet-black hair that was cut short and a side of her face. She looked young, but as a forty-five-year-old man, everyone seemed young to Danny these days.
Eric’s gonna have a hard time keeping his eyes off of you.
She took out two red plastic cups, and Danny heard liquid being poured generously into each one. "Stand up and take ten steps to the door," she commanded.
"What about the older fella back there?" Danny said.
The woman faced him now. She was reasonably pretty after all, but there was also a harshness about her. The woman angled her head, and her eyes tensed. She had a presence in the room that even most men never had. It was challenging, yet intriguing.
She looked back at the man in the chair and then to Danny. "He doesn't partake at the moment. Now ten steps back."
Danny didn't hesitate. He stood up, immediately stepped back to the door. She set the cup on the table and ushered him to sit back down. The woman retook her seat and Danny walked up to the table, slowly retaking her chair.
Just pretend it tastes good.
Danny’s flannel was drenched with sweat, and his back was stiff from carrying the weight from his armor, but he sat down with minimal complaining. He grasped the drink and raised it, thanking her with a genuine smile. They both took a sip fighting back the burn from the cheap whiskey.
How did I ever like this shit in the beginning?
"I am going to look through your pack, Dan. If I find anything I don't like, then I am going to end your life and your friends. All I want is answers."
Danny set his cup on the table and pushed it away. "Fine, but I want answers as well."
She smiled as she rested her cup on the filing cabinet in front of her. "You aren't a pussy, Dan. I'll give you that."
The woman grabbed Danny's faded grey pack and unzipped the pouches. She turned it upside down and shook it violently. Everything was packed in small waterproof pouches and fell to the ground with dull softness. A few ration bars thudded on the faded carpet as well as a toiletry kit and four extra magazines.
"You aren't much of a heavy packer, are you?" The woman said. She opened the waterproofing sacks and dumped a few spare pairs of boxers and socks. "I thought you'd be more of a tightey-whitey kinda guy?"
Danny laughed as he took another sip. "More of a G-string kinda guy actually, but I figured they wouldn't be comfy on the long journey."
"Smart man," she laughed, emptying another waterproofing sack. A small blanket that was wrapped in a tarp was unrolled and set next to a pile of things she had already looked at. "Where you from?" She asked, still going through the pack.
"New York originally, but I stayed in California after I spent a few years in the Marines."
"Ah, Jarhead. No doubt, you two are military. You guys knew how to move." She now opened the front pockets of the pack. "Let me guess, did your twenty and got out?"
"Four years of infantry was enough for me. I went to the LAPD after."
The pack was all empty, and she tossed it to the side in a pile. She grabbed the map that was in a quart-size plastic bag. Danny sat fixated on the folded polaroids that were in the bag as well.
"So, where you headed, Dan?"
Danny ran his hands over his face and let them settle on his thighs again. "North."
She dumped the map, and the photo fell into her lap.
Shit.
The woman furrowed her brow, and her eyes darted. She unfolded the picture and looked at it. A light smile came across her face to which Danny avoided her gaze and began tapping his foot on the floor.
The woman looked up at Danny. "It's amazing really to think just a few weeks ago everything was normal." She folded the photo and set it aside with a light smile on her face. "Any reason why they are north and not with you?"
Danny scratched the back of his neck. "She was seeing her brother."
"Which would be where, Dan?"
"Lake Tahoe," he admitted, shaking his head in slight frustration. He swallowed his words before he proceeded. "Look, I don't know you and I honestly want nothing from you. Neither does my friend downstairs."
Danny stood up, making the woman raise the pistol. He paced back and forth for a moment.
"Look, I am very thankful for what you've done for us, but the longer I stay here..." Danny shook his head. "The longer I waste time, the more I doubt they will be safe."
The woman raised the 1911 at him. "Sit down, Dan."
Danny took a seat unwillingly as he kept shaking his head.
The woma
n let the pistol fall back to her lap as she unfolded the map. "Seems like you have a hell of a journey ahead of you."
Danny nodded his head. "Yeah, you could say that."
She folded the map up and stuck both the photo and the map into the clear plastic bag. She tossed the bag to Danny, who caught it mid-air.
She took another sip and leaned forward. "All that chaos last night is going to bring a lot of those crazies, as you like to call ‘em, this way. You’re better off waiting it out for a few days until they go somewhere else. I can resupply you on ammo and whatever else you need."
Danny stared at her for a moment. "What's the catch?"
She opened Danny's wallet, reading his driver’s license. "The catch—Daniel Etter—is that you two are going to help me and that older gentleman behind you get to Bakersfield."
"Like hell we are," Danny protested. "We have no room for detours."
"I am not asking you to take a detour. All I'm asking is get me near there, and you can go on your merry way."
Danny sat there for a moment looking down at the cup he set aside. "Why?"
"I can handle myself, but even I cannot make it on my own." She pointed to the man behind Danny. "Chaps over there is a man of God and not a man of violence, which is where you two come into play."
Danny leaned back in his chair. "So what then, the two of us will make that journey easier?"
"Maybe not easier, but it'll improve our chances. Look, all I’m asking is to just get us near Bakersfield. That's it. I'll stand watch at night and carry my own weight. Chaps can be on watch as well. Everyone gets more sleep, and everyone wins. When we get close enough, then you and your young-looking Russell Crowe friend can be on your merry way."
"And if I say no?"
"Then you can take your shit and go. I know you both are low on ammo, and by the looks of it, you won't get very far without it." She laid back in her chair and crossed her leg. "I'll tell you what, Dan. Take an hour to mull it over. In the meantime, I'll talk things over with your friend. We'll see if your stories add up."
Danny looked about the room for a moment and took a deep breath. "I'll think about it—" his voice trailed off, asking for her name.
"Sophia," she said. The safety on the pistol flicked on. "And behind you is Major Whitrock, my unit's former Chaplin."
Danny looked back at the man. "Sir, pleasure to meet you."
The man smiled again. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Etter."
When Danny turned back, Sophia was sitting on the table in the corner swinging her legs freely. The light machine gun sat next to her.
"What's your friend's name?"
"It's Eric," Danny replied.
"Great. Tell Eric to drop all his weapons and armor before coming in. If he decides to play nice then the deal is still on."
Danny nodded his head as he walked towards the door.
"Oh, and Dan?" Sophia declared stopping Danny in his tracks.
He looked back at her.
"If both of you come in guns blazing, I'll end your lives." She smiled and patted the machine gun next to her.
With a polite nod, Danny turned and walked towards the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THE BOTTOM STEP was cold as the grated metal pulled the heat from Danny’s body.
It’s been awhile.
Danny just wanted to get to his family. He wondered what Susan was thinking and if Lucas finally had some compassion.
What kind of stress would the kids be under wondering about their father? You did this, Dan.
He tried to shake it off as he rubbed the folded photo that Sophia had returned to him. Then, his mind switched to what was transpiring in the room above. Eric, of all people, hated when a woman tried to act hot shit, so it would be foolish not to expect some bitterness between the two.
Just go with it, Eric. I don't have time to make more enemies.
A mechanical screech from the door cascaded light down into the dark stairwell. Danny looked up, squinting, as his eyes tried to adjust to the newfound light. Eric was standing at the top. He too, had been stripped of his weapons and armor with his tattoo protruding from his half-rolled sleeve.
"Etter, she wants to speak to us both," Eric said.
Danny could tell Eric was slightly peeved, but not to the extent that he thought Eric would be. He stood up and pulled himself up the stairs with the rail. His body ached from the chaos of the past days.
"You good, chief?" Eric asked, looking Danny up and down.
"Yeah, I'm just old," Danny sighed as he patted off the back of his pants and readjusted his thin flannel. He looked back at Eric whose hair was greasy and pushed back, and his beard looked like it had grown a few inches just today. "So what shit storm am I walking into here, Eric?"
"I played nice, Etter, but I still have my doubts." Eric leaned in close, lowering his voice. "I mean, why is she here with that Major? By the looks of it, she is wearing the same uniform as those fucks who went after us yesterday. I want some answers before I close my eyes tonight."
Danny rubbed the tear ducts in his eyes, trying to regain some focus. "Let’s not jump to conclusions." He peeked his head out at the door. Their gear and the rifles were gone. "Look Eric, you and I are good, but at some point we have to admit that we have been lucky to have gotten this far. Honestly, I think we need all the help we can get."
Eric let his hands rest on his hips as his eyes moved to the ground. A few moments passed before he looked up. "You don't put much faith in me, Dan."
"It's not about faith, Eric. It's the fact that we are both human and the stakes are much higher now. You are a damn good Marine, and after all we've been through you are a brother to me as well. If you think we will be better off without an extra gun in the fight then, by all means, let's pack our shit."
Eric showed his teeth slightly and stared up at the ceiling. "Fine, I'll play nice with little G.I. Jane in there."
"My man," Danny said as he patted Eric on the shoulder.
Eric put his index finger up. "But if she crosses us, I won't hesitate to end her."
Danny walked towards the door. "I'll do it well before you. Now, try to have a little civility."
"Yeah, yeah," Eric spat as he walked in behind Danny.
When they entered the room, Danny noticed that their rifles and body armor had been placed neatly against the wall closest to the door. Jazzy Bear was tucked back into Danny’s magazine dump pouch that rested on the ground. A table with two chairs sat in the right-hand corner closest to Eric and Danny. Two bottles of water were set in the center with a military ration placed in front of a seat for each man.
Sophia was seated reading a book as she took a sip from her cup. She had removed her plate carrier. The combat shirt she wore was caked in sweat, and it was hard to not notice her trim figure.
"So what will it be, boys?" She asked, setting down the cup.
Danny looked at Sophia as he bit the side of his lip. "I think we have an agreement."
She smiled for a split second and made eye contact with Chaps. She then held her hand out to the food on the table. "Then, have a seat and eat something before we talk any further. I know how cranky you boys get when you're hungry."
She resumed her focus on the book.
Danny moved the chair so he could see the room better. He tore into the meal and started separating everything. When he looked up from the table, he saw that Eric was still standing, staring at her.
Here we go.
"What are you reading?" Eric asked.
Sophia turned a page and kept her eyes focused.
Eric cleared his throat to get her attention.
This time Sophia looked up. She had a bitter look on her face as she rested the book face down on her lap. Her gaze moved to Danny, who was heating his meal in a green warming bag. Danny tried to stay out of it, but he had a hard time keeping himself from smiling.
"Is it one of those romantic novels?" Eric teased as he pulled the chair across from Danny, o
ut from the table.
He is asking for it.
Chaps started to chuckle to himself as he turned a page. His eyes darted back and forth as he adjusted his glasses.
Sophia put on a sarcastic smile and crossed her legs. "It's actually about a girl who kicks little-bearded men in the balls who ask stupid questions."
Eric took a seat and grabbed his MRE. He chuckled slightly as he tore into the bag. "Sounds like a sophisticated read."
Sophia picked her book back up. "Well, considering that most Marines can’t read, I’d say it’s well above your reading level."
Zing.
Eric shook his head with a smile on his face.
Danny laughed with some remnants of food in his mouth. "Man, this is gonna be interesting."
Sophia poked her head up from the pages staring at Danny. "Maybe for you."
Eric couldn't hide a smile from his face as he looked over at Major Whitrock. "What about you, sir?"
Chaps looked over. "Well, all I could find was this book on electromagnetism."
Eric smiled as he leaned back in the chair. "Thought it would be something more...biblical."
Danny kicked Eric's leg. "Be nice. Give them a little more time before they decide you're a dick."
Chaps laughed. "No, it's quite alright, Dan. I have already figured that one out."
Sophia chuckled to herself, shaking her head.
Even Eric chuckled as he tore into a bag of corn nuts and tossed a few in his mouth. "Have you covered Lenz's law?"
Chaps looked up from his book and removed his glasses. "Come again?"
"Lenz's Law. Have you covered it?" Eric popped another few corn nuts into his mouth.
The Chaplain looked at Sophia, who had a brow raised and then Danny who smiled back.
"I--uh-- skipped that one," Chaps said, sitting up in his seat. "The induced current direction wasn’t very forgiving in the text."
Eric nodded his head as he finished chewing."If you break it down, there are only four scenarios in which the induced current can go, but I'll have to draw it out for you."
Chaps looked at Eric in bewilderment. "I must say. I’m rather surprised."
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