by Mariah Lynde
“Honestly? You aren’t honest with anyone, yourself included. You didn’t come here to offer me a job, you came here for something else entirely.” Straightening once more, I turned to look at him where he knelt a couple of feet away watching me with a wary expression. His free hand cradled his injured arm while black hair that had been perfectly slicked back earlier, now stuck out in odd angles tangled with small flecks of red clay and leaf bits.
“I did come to offer you a job. In part.” Pale cheeks flushed a little with color as he looked away from me.
“If you say so. I’m not going to argue the point anymore. Look, no matter why you came here, or what you expected, you have your answers. What you choose to do with that knowledge is up to you.” I shrugged. Sliding the arrows back in the quiver, I moved to pick up the bow and faced him once again. “As far as I’m concerned, you have two choices. Accept what you saw last night and stop wasting my time or sit here and keep pushing me to try and get the answer you want. I’ll warn you, if you plan on choosing the second you can just get your ass right on up and walk to your car. I’m not going to stand here wasting anymore of my time.”
Offering him a slight nod, I turned on my heel intent on heading into the wooded area to salvage what time I could in shooting off a few arrows. If he chose to follow, I couldn’t well stop him, although I had to admit there was a high risk of manslaughter…or if he kept it up, justifiable homicide.
“You realize you put an arrow through my arm, Miss Warren. What should I do about that?” Cal’s words were slightly more amused than I would have liked. Stopping in my movements, I exhaled softly before looking back over my shoulder.
“I didn’t do anything. You passed out and fell on an arrow. I already said I felt bad about that, but it’s not exactly my fault.” I shrugged a little.
“So that’s it then? I’m injured and you’ll just send me on my way? You won’t even discuss this with me?” Bargaining, it was something I should have seen coming. When you found out the world was really ending, I suppose one should expect to see a lot of people transitioning through the five stages of acceptance.
“Pretty much. That looks like it’s just a flesh wound. It should be easy enough to get patched up. Hell, you might not even need the emergency room.” My head tilted up again in a dismissive nod.
“I don’t think so. If you’d be so kind as to take a look at it for me, we can discuss the job I came here to offer you.” His words again gave me pause.
“Why would you want me to look at it?” This time, I turned to face him. Realizing I wouldn’t be able to just sneak off into the woods in order to practice until Cal’s curiosity had been assuaged.
“Because you were trained for this, were you not? At least that is what you said on your resume.” This time, he wore a boyish grin and a look that said ‘got ya’.
“Yes, but that was a while ago. I could look at it, but what would be the point of discussing the job. If the world is about to explode into a walking display of corpses, what good will that offer be?” I asked in return.
Cal jerked back in surprise. Obviously he hadn’t considered that part of his argument when he’d jumped in to it. Shock as well as a healthy amount of admiration crossed his feature before he nodded.
“Again, fair point, Miss Warren. You are once again proving just how much of a challenge you can be. You’re right, of course. If what we saw last night is just the beginning, then talking about the job offer is a moot point. However, what if you’re wrong and the world doesn’t end tomorrow?” I watched as Cal slowly pushed himself up to stand and make his way towards me. Tilting my head back to peer up at him, I grimaced.
Damn if the man didn’t have a valid point. If the world didn’t end, my chances of keeping my job were about nil if I didn’t play along.
“I really don’t think−”
“Come on, Miss Warren. What would be the harm in polite conversation while you look at my arm. After all, I could fall over at any moment. I believe I’m feeling a little faint.” This time, I knew I was done for. Whatever else, Cal Mitty might be, he was definitely not a man who didn’t get what he wanted. Watching him swoon, I debated letting him fall on his ass.
Still, having him land on me twice in one day? No way, Jose.
“You’re not used to taking ‘no’ for an answer, are you?” I sighed, my head turning to see that the bright sunlight which had been so welcoming earlier was now toning down to offer faded hues of burnt orange across the ground. My window to practice was lost.
“Not especially. No. But for the second time in as many days you’ve reminded me that I am no different than anyone else on this planet.” Cal answered, causing me to stare at him. Something about those words seemed strange, but I couldn’t quite figure out just why it bothered me.
“And if I were to turn you away, what would you do?” One eyebrow arched as I moved to step away from him and pick up the discarded pillow that laid on the ground nearby.
“Probably try and drive myself to the emergency room with an arrow in my arm. Look, I get it. I came here uninvited. Right now, all I want is some conversation and maybe some answers.” He muttered.
Annoyed, I closed my eyes. I should turn him away. Cal Mitty was nothing but trouble. Still, I couldn’t knowingly send him to a hospital when I knew the odds of infected people being there was so high. Could I?
To be a decent human being or to cut him off and let him fend for himself?
In the end, it was my mother’s voice in my head that made the decision. Turning on my heel, I walked past Cal and towards the back door leading into my apartment.
“What exactly are you doing now, Miss Warren?” The question was tentative and unsure. I almost laughed at the childlike quality to his voice before I turned my head to peer back at him and give a creepy little laugh. Hey, I might not be willing to help the guy, but I could at least have a little fun with it since he’d ruined my plans for the afternoon.
“I’m going inside to my lair. I guess you’ll just have to decide how badly you want those answers of yours.” Turning the doorknob, I smirked and made my way inside. Heaving a small sigh of frustration, I left the door open waiting to see if he would decide to follow me or turn around and leave.
Chapter Sixteen – A New Member
As luck would have it, Cal Mitty chose to enter my home instead of limping to his car and going back to his ivory tower. While I would have preferred to be left alone, it seemed that he wouldn’t be taking that into account. If I had been paying attention I might have recognized the signs of complete and total chaos beating down my door.
Not only did I have the end of the world looming on my horizon, but fate decided to instead put this man in my path at every turn. One thing you will come to learn in life, and a lesson that my family had always tried to get through my thick skull was simple, nothing in life is a random coincidence. Whether by the grand design of some higher power or the machinations of others, events in our lives that seemed like they could be by nothing more than lucky chance were actually part of some larger plan or tapestry.
Funnily enough, those events were always something to behold. No matter how small such a thing may seem, arranging a chance meeting or manipulating the world around you to get one single outcome you strive for, in the end it always weaves into something larger. Like a pebble rolling downhill in a landslide, it grows larger and picks up more debris until it becomes a boulder.
Things such as this were no different.
While it seemed harmless and innocent enough now, in the coming days and weeks I’d come to realize just how big of an impact Cal Mitty’s sudden emergence into my life would be. For now, all I knew about this man was that he had a dogged persistence when it came to me. In the last twenty-four hours he had tracked me down twice over seemingly inconsequential matters.
While I had always believed it would be flattering to have the interest of any male who appeared to be half decent and to some degree intelligent, this situation seeme
d lacking. Oh, I had his attention but the truth was, something about him irked me. Every scenario in which I encountered him had me vacillating from one extreme emotion to another and left me feeling off balance. Something I could well do without.
I had hoped that my actions outside would have given him a hint about leaving me be. That had apparently been too much to ask because as I stepped around the piles of supplies stacked between my kitchen and the living room, I heard his footsteps sounding on the linoleum tile of the kitchen floor.
Turning to peer at him, I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at my visitor’s wide eyed stare. To him, it had to be a daunting sight. Given the circumstances and its appearance, any normal person would think that they had walked in on some kind of hoarder’s paradise. An array of boxes and bags were scattered from one end of my apartment to the other. Only God knew how much worse it would have been if I’d taken the time to unload my latest purchases from the car into the front area of the apartment.
“Well…this is quaint.” His voice kind of cracked on the phrasing as I turned to peer at him with one brow raised.
“Really?” I began. The audacity that this man had shown thus far had surpassed my limit of tolerance. “You just wasted what free time I had left in the afternoon to demand my attention and you’re first comment on entering my home is an insult? Man, I could commit murder right now and still have nothing on you in the rude department.”
Turning back towards the pile of equipment and supplies currently scattered across my living room, I sighed. In order to get all of this sorted and organized I’d need part of the things I’d acquired in my trip earlier today, which meant unloading the Explorer. Considering present company, I really did not want to undertake that right now and garner more unneeded attention.
“This place looks like the beginnings of a FEMA shelter. While I get being prepared, isn’t this a little bit extreme?” His question pulled me back into the present and brought my attention back to him. I really had no intention of answering his questions so instead I chose to focus on his injured arm.
“Come on, I’ll help you get that arm patched up and you can finish telling me why it is you really came over.” I waved a hand, indicating his question had been dismissed and turned to make my way to the supplies. Fortunately, the wound that he had could easily be handled with simple first aid supplies. A part of me wanted to tell him that he was lucky I had gone overboard in hoarding supplies, but I thought better of it.
Maybe if he considered me completely off my rocker he would leave here and not bother coming back. While that would eliminate a piece of eye candy for me to admire, life had a tendency to be a lot more simple when you cut out an overabundance of people with difficult personalities.
For several moments I didn’t hear a sound. Other than the sound of rustling plastic bags from where I searched through the supplies littered across my couch, it seemed almost dead silent in my apartment. Wondering if Cal had taken the hint and just slipped out of the back door to leave, I brought my head up to peer towards the kitchen.
Nope. As I suspected, he still stood there in the middle of my kitchen watching me like a hawk. Again, I found this to be uncomfortable and disconcerting but I chose not to give voice to it. Instead, I worked at trying to gain some form of control over my current situation. Motioning him towards one of the wooden chairs in my little dining area, I turned my gaze back to the supplies in front of me while I spoke.
“Go ahead and grab a seat. I’ll get what we need to clean that up and we’ll get started.” I could have kicked myself as I heard the small squeak in my voice. God knew, this situation already had all the makings of a disaster waiting to happen but I just had to add to it.
To say I felt relief when Cal moved to follow my instructions was an understatement. It suddenly occurred to me that bringing him into my home had possibly been a very bad idea. After all, if he left here and the outbreak suddenly exploded, now he would be aware of exactly where he could get a surplus of supplies. This little meeting of ours today would not exactly be indicative of me being able to fend him off should he decide that he was entitled to any of the things I’d acquired here.
Stop it. Trying to rein in the slightly paranoid part of my brain, I grabbed a few of the medical supplies and made my way towards the table. Dropping them on the rather sad, cracked plastic surface I could only grin a little in embarrassment.
A man like Cal Mitty was probably used to fine polished wood or elite marble, not some low rent, cheap card table from the nearest discount store. I’ll admit part of that happened to be my own doing but there would be no changing it now. This is who I was, like it or leave it. Why I suddenly felt ashamed of that, I had no clue.
“Why so quiet all of the sudden, Miss Warren?” His question caught me off guard. To be fair, I was so used to being on my own that I could go hours without making a sound. Now, there was someone else in my home and my social skills (or lack thereof) were making themselves known.
It would benefit me to strike up and maintain a conversation with him. As socially inept as I might be, that particular conclusion seemed to be quite obvious. Things could only get horrifically worse if I appeared to be hiding things from him. Shady actions and secretive behavior only led to curiosity of the worst kind.
“Sorry, not used to having other people in my home, let alone one of my bosses with an injury I have to take care of. So, you planning on going to the hospital for this or do you want to do the full treatment here?” As far as changing the subject it was a viable shift in conversation.
“What do you think I should do?” His question brought me up short and I had to look at him. Unsure whether the question was a joke at my expense or serious in nature had yet to be seen. Surprisingly, he seemed to be completely on the up and up.
“It looks like the arrow is just under the skin, which, in all honesty could have been a lot worse. I think as long as we’re careful and clean it out really well you should be fine. I don’t even think you’ll need stitches.” Answering him softly, I started to break the seal on the bottle of alcohol in front of me.
“You said something in the lobby about working as a medic yesterday, and today I read your file. So how is it that you’re working in the IT department at McGinley and not doing that?” Again, he caught me off guard. His questions about my interests were not something I would expect from a self-involved man, even if he were only doing it to add on to his personal chances of survival.
“Yeah, I did for a while. In the end, I just had to move on. Guess in some ways I’ve always bucked the trends.” Moving to open one package of cotton balls, my thoughts wandered. Before you knew it, there was an explosion of fluffy white cloth weave that sprayed over the table. Shaking my head, I snorted a little and muttered a soft, “I’m sorry.” So much for seeming controlled and practiced.
His laugh echoed in my small kitchen and made me blush. Why this man could elicit so many reactions from me, I had no clue. What I can say is that each different occurrence had me more off balance than before. I disliked the idea of having no control over my emotions or how I reacted, especially when it dealt with a person I couldn’t seem to understand.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” His amused chuckle grated on my nerves and yet, he looked at me with a curiosity that couldn’t be feigned. He was genuinely interested in what I had to say. That had to be a first. Of course, the question now happened to be if his interest happened to be based in his thought process for survival or me in general. My bet was on the survival factor, but hey…a girl can dream. Frustrating as he was even with all the smart ass remarks, I had to admit I kind of liked the guy.I knew the odds for something like romantic interest were equivalent to finding an icicle in hell, but it was a good distraction. Even while that thought spun through my head he continued, “So, how did you go from the adrenaline rush of working in emergency medicine to an IT specialist in a boring office?”
“How else? My parents intervened and as a typical reb
ellious offspring, I tried to thwart them and ended up here.” Chuckling a little, I could see the confusion on his face. To him, that had to sound like a load of crazy, but it was the truth at least in part.
“I think that requires a little further...explanation. How are your parents responsible for you being in IT?” His voice trailed up at the end, almost squeaking in disbelief.
Chuckling a bit, I shook my head and arched a brow as I spoke, “Is this a story you really want to hear?”
“I’m not sure, but you can’t say something like you did and just leave a guy hanging.” He had a point. The way I had worded my answer left a lot of things open to interpretation.
“Well, I had been working as an EMT through College. I took a semester off right after high school, a kind of take a break before starting my college career. That fall, I took a first responder course, then got my EMT Basic.” Shaking my head, I moved to soak a couple of the cotton balls in alcohol.
“I ended up falling in love with it, but I had promised my parents I would go to college. Since I didn’t have a full ride, I worked at the campus infirmary for a while to make a little money and help with the debt. The more I worked with the first response teams and the volunteer fire stations, the more I realized I loved it. In the end, I doubled up, spent my freshman and sophomore years taking night classes to get my Paramedic lined up, just never tested past the Intermediate level.
“My parents decided to have an intervention. By intervention I mean that it was one of those ‘family’ conversations where they told me that my college education outweighed my ‘hobby’ as an EMT. I’d never make money riding around on an ambulance and chasing a rush.” Frowning a little, I looked to the arrow currently sticking out of his arm, “So, I did what they asked, but of course I decided to do it my way.”
“Ah, so bucking the trends?” Cal’s voice held that soft note of amusement again. This time however, it did not infuriate me but made me smirk as I peered down at him.