“Well, hell,” Lizzie said.
“Who’s C.J.?” from the back Charley’s voice whistled softly, “Who’s Duke? Why do we need guns?”
Spike whined.
“Bad men,” Lizzie said. “We probably don’t need guns, but—” Here came her Mama’s words, “Better safe than sorry.” The Snake River running alongside the freeway caught her eye. Idaho was on the other side. Lizzie wished they were already in Salt Lake City hanging out with her dad and Jess.
“Shit,” Lizzie said. “Glen can help us find gun shops. He said he’s got loads of data.” She texted Glen the question.
He called her back in a few minutes. “I’ve got a bunch of addresses. Lock, Stock and Barrel is about five or six miles out of the way near the Idaho border.”
Lizzie’s insides twisted. She didn’t want any more delays. “Anything closer to our path?”
“There’s this one. Great name.” Glen chuckled on the phone. “T-Bone’s Buns and Guns. Sandwiches and gun shop.”
Lizzie repeated it for the others in the SUV.
Zach nodded. “How close?”
“Twelve miles,” Glen said.
He told Lizzie the address and she relayed it to Zach.
They found the shop manned. The sign flashed open and sitting outside was a big man with a long scraggly salt and pepper beard.
“Welcome to Idaho, folks. Guns or Buns?” He grinned as they climbed out of the tank.
“Some of both, I think.” Lizzie smiled back, stepping inside as he opened the door for her. For a moment everything felt like the old days, before the disease. But the anxiety returned. They were here for guns to protect themselves. “Food first, we haven’t had bread in weeks.”
“Ours is fresh. Well, day old, but that’s pretty damn fresh. Driven in from Boise yesterday.” The big man turned and called back, “Jenny?”
“Yeah?” An annoyed female voice responded.
“We got more customers. Wash your hands.”
“Awesome.” She did not sound enthused.
They ordered sandwiches. The man at the counter might have been T-Bone, but he never introduced himself. He chattered. Where were they from? How was the weather? Had they been to Boise? Sounded like Idaho was doing pretty well. Lizzie and the others answered the questions, but the friendliness didn’t stop her from being suspicious.
The sandwiches were good. While they ate, the only sounds were T-Bone’s running monologue and Spike’s chewing. Lizzie tore off bits of her sandwich for Saj and Nev copied her. When the food was gone they bussed their own tables. As they were cleaning up, the man Lizzie decided was T-Bone opened the cabinets with the guns.
“What are you folks intending to pay with?” T-Bone rubbed his chubby hands together like he was getting ready to make a deal.
Lizzie looked to Zach. What the hell was worth anything? “Will you take cash?” She smiled at him.
“Well. That depends. How much do you have? I expect sooner or later, it’ll be worth something. There’s people in Boise forming a government and talking about using good old American dollars as currency. Of course, with all of it lying around, dollar’s worth even less than it used to be. Also, depends on how much you’re planning on buying. Jewelry’s my usual currency.”
Zach picked out an old-looking rifle. “This reminds me of my Grandpa’s favorite.”
“30 ought 6. Good choice. Probably the most common bore.”
The wad of bills Zach had stolen for gas had hardly been used. He handed it to T-Bone, who took all but $20. Zach shrugged. “Easy come, easy go.”
Lizzie’s nerves, already on the edge, didn’t like giving away all that cash. Even if it was only useful for vending and gas pay machines. And why would this guy even take it? Don’t be paranoid, Lizzie.
Charley was sitting quiet, watching T-Bone with sharp eyes.
Lizzie wondered if Charley was suspicious, too.
“Don’t want to leave you flat broke.” T-Bone smiled. “Don’t want to rip you off either. Now, you ladies want something?”
Nev shook her head.
Lizzie looked over the guns in the cabinet. She had the shotgun, but maybe something smaller. The jewelry she’d pilfered from the houses didn’t mean anything to her and they could always get more. “Zach, pick me out a hand-gun, maybe one for you, too. And a rifle for me. Not too much kick. I’ll go get my rings and stuff.” Zach’s eyebrow arched, but he nodded and turned back to the case.
Nev followed Lizzie to the tank with Saj in her arms. “Lizzie, you’re gonna give him your jewelry?”
Lizzie didn’t look at Nev. “It’s not really my jewelry. Just some things I picked up.”
Nev didn’t respond except to say, “I’ll put Saj in his car seat and wait for you all out here.”
T-Bone seemed like a nice guy, and how much choice did they have other than wild-goose chasing off the path. Charley came out of the store leading Spike as Lizzie headed back in with her Crown Royal bag of treasure.
“You boys, want to get in the car, too?” Lizzie asked.
Charley nodded, his face set in a frown.
“What’s wrong?” Lizzie stopped him.
“I don’t like that man.”
Lizzie patted his shoulder. “Yeah, not sure I do either, but he has what we want. What we need. Get in the car so we can get going as soon as Zach and I are done.
“Okay.” Charley tugged on Spike. “Come on, big guy. I’ll teach you some more words.” He dangled the rest of his sandwich in front of Spike’s face.
Lizzie couldn’t help but laugh. Charley was a good addition to the family.
As she turned away, her stomach twisted. Lunch came up in the bushes next to the building. The sandwich she’d eaten wasted on a shrubbery. Shit. Don’t freak out. She wanted to feel safe. She spit to clean her mouth and went back inside.
Zach had picked out a snub-nosed .38 and a .22 rifle with a magazine for Lizzie.
“It won’t stop anything big,” he explained, “but it’ll shoot every time you pull the trigger.”
25
LIZZIE FELT BETTER ARMED AND back on the road. They continued south toward Boise. At a sign for Caldwell City Center, they came upon the most people they’d seen since Seattle. Emergency vehicles lined the road. Lizzie saw a Washington State Patrol car, a Border Patrol SUV, an ambulance and a local police car.
Zach slowed to a stop and a guy in an ill-fitting blue uniform with a gun on his hip and a badge on his chest came up to them. “What’s up, officer?”
The man glanced around as if this wasn’t his usual job. “Can I, uh, get you folks to step out of the car, please?”
“What’s the problem?” Zach asked.
Lizzie watched as Zach pulled her little .38 handgun out of the Tank’s side pocket. Chill, Zach. She leaned forward and touched his shoulder.
“We’re trying to verify nobody sick comes into Idaho.” The cop character looked shifty; he didn’t really focus on them.
Zach shrugged. “We’re only driving through.”
Lizzie glanced at the other side of the road. More men with guns were coming toward them. “Zach. I think we better do as he says.”
He turned and his eyes got wide. “Ah, shit!”
Everyone exited the car. Lizzie undid Saj’s car seat and pulled him into her arms. Men inspected the Tank and the new guns from T-Bone were pulled, compared to a list, and the rest of the Expedition was searched. Shit, I knew it was too easy. Bet he called ahead. Lizzie counted it a small blessing they didn’t find her shotgun. Whoever these guys were, they weren’t very good at their new jobs. No one looked at them to take a temperature or anything.
Saj pointed at the ambulance and said, “Woo-woo.”
Lizzie nodded. “Yeah. Some kind of emergency.”
The original officer returned. He motioned to the men surrounding them. “Nadine, uh, the Commander, says bring ‘em in.”
Lizzie heard the way he said Nadine, like she-who-must-be-obeyed.
The
gunmen guided them toward the police vehicles. Lizzie planted her feet. “I need the car seat.”
The man pursed his lip, then nodded. “Okay. She and the kid can ride with us in their rig.”
They got in with a driver and three armed guards. Lizzie watched Spike and Zach get shoved into the back of the cop car and Nev and Charley climbed into the ambulance.
A few miles from the road block there was new construction. People dragged cinder blocks onto pallets and lifted them onto a wall. The laborers had the same stunned look Lizzie remembered on Spike’s face before they started teaching him.
She glanced back at him; his eyes were glued to the activity. Her nerves were on edge, her hands shaking.
They stopped where the wall was finished, eight feet tall and topped with barbed wire. A giant metal gate was being installed. They pulled through and stopped in front of an elementary school, but a new sign said Caldwell Independence Association.
A severe woman wearing well-tailored fatigues and a distinguished, graying man in a business suit came out of the door with more armed men. The woman shouted orders and guards separated Zach from Nev and took them off in different directions. They pulled Charley and Spike inside. They both stared at Lizzie as if she had the power to save them.
What the fuck? They let her take Saj; he was strangely silent. No fussing, just quiet and aware. You must know I’m freaked out, Saj.
An armed guard in uniform lead Lizzie to a room, the door still said counselor's office. Oh joy, my favorite. Colored poster paper covered the interior windows. Trips to the counselor's office had always felt like an interrogation. Why should it be any different now that the world had ended?
The gray-templed man came in after a few minutes. “I’m Bill. William Johnston. I’m going to ask you a few questions. If everything checks out we’ll be inviting you to join us or allowing you to leave.”
“Why would I want to? Why should I answer? Why can’t we leave now?”
“I’ll ask the questions.” He was all business. He pulled out a tape recorder, a notepad, and then a handgun, which he laid on the table. He clicked the recorder on and restated his name. He flipped open the note-pad and flashed a tired, insincere smile. “Now. Tell me your name, where you are going and why?”
Lizzie gulped, eyeballing the gun. Bill seemed civilized. It was for show, but it made her nervous. “Okay. My name is Lizzie Gooden-Guerrero. I’m going to Salt Lake City to meet my father.” Saj bleated and Lizzie bounced him on her knee facing her. “You’re okay, Saj”
“Where is your father coming from?”
“Del Rio, Texas.”
“Tell me where you were when the pandemic hit.”
The questions continued and Lizzie answered all his questions. After telling him about Glen, including his location, her face got hot. Damn. She’d been talking without thinking. She didn’t want to get caught hiding something and now she’d compromised someone else. Maybe these guys would trade information with Glen, too. Maybe it was okay. But it didn’t feel like it.
Saj calmed down and slid from her lap to explore the room.
A guard came in with milk and chocolate chip cookies, like she was some kind of pet to be rewarded for good behavior. The cookies were still steaming and the milk was cold, so despite her principles Lizzie gulped them down, sharing half a cookie with Saj.
Finally Bill turned off the recorder and set down his notes. “Thank you, Lizzie. I think the others are probably done as well. Your cooperation is most appreciated.” He put away his tools, including the gun. “Dinner should be coming soon. Hopefully the cookies didn’t ruin your appetite.”
Lizzie had caved. She knew it, and now he added insult to injury by patronizing her. She wanted to be angry but instead she felt dazed, like she had lost a part of who she was under his scrutiny. She was the one who never ‘fessed up in the principal’s office, never ratted anyone out. But there had never been a gun on the principal’s desk.
The guards led her into the cafeteria. Her friends sat around the table eyeing her with the same dazed look. She felt immense relief at seeing them. But Spike was still missing. “Where’s Spike?”
Zach shrugged. “Don’t know. I assume he’ll be here soon.”
Men in uniforms stood by the door, no visible guns, but they were obviously guards. So much for being free to go after questioning.
A young woman brought in bread and more milk. She introduced herself as Rachael. She didn’t know the answers to their questions. Lizzie thought she was telling the truth. Her eyes and manner were warm; her slacks and sweater were more sedate and adult than Lizzie’s. Rachael seemed near the same age as Lizzie, but she seemed simple or at least sheltered.
Rachael brought in a giant pot of stew with the heavenly smell of onions, garlic and beef. She also brought a handful of baby carrots and some chunked up chicken. “Can I feed these to the baby?”
“He feeds himself mostly, but you can help him if you want.” Lizzie nodded. Saj watched Rachael and he opened his mouth when she offered him a bite. He seemed to like her, but as she fed him, Lizzie saw her eyes get misty.
“What’s wrong, Rachael?”
“Nothing. I—” Rachael’s mouth twitched. “My baby... He got sick. Died. They want me to-” Her eyes flicked behind her, “Excuse me,” she said and hurried from the room.
After a bit she came back, her tears dabbed. She had an old Fisher Price barnyard play set in a box and coaxed Saj onto the floor to play.
Bill Johnston came in accompanied by Nadine, the severe woman who had ordered them all questioned. “May the light welcome you.” She put on a friendly face. She sat at one end of the table and Bill sat at the other. “I assume you will want to be moving on in the morning. We’ll top off your gas. When you’ve reunited with Lizzie’s father perhaps you’ll want to come back this way.”
Lizzie nodded, matching her fake smile. “We’ve come a long way.” It was scary realizing that Nadine probably knew everything she’d told Bill. “Thank you for the food and the gas.” And fuck you for the interrogation and the treatment beforehand and we filled up already today. Lizzie bit the inside of her cheek to help control her anger. Don’t piss these people off. “Where is Spike?”
The woman looked quizzical. “Spike?”
“Our dog-man.”
“Dog-man? Oh, the drone? The special one.”
Lizzie didn’t like the way she said special like a disease. “Yeah. Big guy. Doesn’t talk.”
“He’s with others like him. We’re feeding and washing him. They tend to get pests.”
“I want him here with us.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. We don’t allow them in here.”
“What?” Lizzie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “They’re not stupid. At least Spike isn’t.”
“Yeah,” Charley piped up. “He can talk to me.”
Lizzie nodded, not trusting herself to be polite to this stupid woman.
“Talk?” Nadine snorted.
“Sign Language,” Charley explained, his eyes lit up with excitement. “He’s learned five or six words in the last two days. “Please, thank you, more, toilet, hungry, thirst—”
“We haven’t been successful in teaching them anything.”
“Bring him in. I’ll show you.” Charley’s smile was irresistible.
Bill was grinning and Nadine’s frown straightened. “Okay. Bring in the new one.”
“I used up a lot of treats teaching him, but he’s such a big man he needs the food anyway.” Charley sliced up the rest of the carrots on his plate.
Lizzie knelt by Rachael and Saj. Let Charley do the talking; his boyish charm was the perfect response to the witch, Nadine. Rachael smiled at Lizzie, her joy with Saj was clear, like she’d been re-lit from within. Lizzie sat cross-legged watching them. Seeing Rachael’s interaction with Saj, Lizzie felt guilty. I don’t play with him much.
Saj giggled as Rachael jiggled his tummy, walking up his belly with the little toy
man.
The guards brought Spike in. Charley showed off the words Spike knew, starting with hungry.
Spike signed, “No.”
“Thirsty?” Charley asked.
Spike’s hands hurried to sign, yes and please.
Charley handed him a glass of water and he signed, “Thank you.”
Lizzie glanced around the room. Charley had them spell-bound. Charley and Spike. Then Charley gave Spike a big hug and Spike hugged him back.
Charley backed away and said, “I love you, Spike.” He signed it at the same time.
Spike’s head cocked to the side like he did when he seemed to be considering. Then his hands, slower this time, formed a decent copy of Charley’s, “I love you.”
“There,” Zach said, coming over to Spike and Charley. He put protective hands on both their shoulders. “See. Spike is family.”
Bill nodded. “Nadine, I think—“
“Okay.” Nadine stood abruptly. “Have their vehicle brought around, Mister Johnston. You may take your ‘Dog-man.’”
Lizzie shook her head. The damn woman couldn’t even call him by his name. Oh, well, forgive her. Everyone was smiling including the guards.
Then Lizzie saw a pistol in Nadine’s hand. The severe face returned to a frown. “Rachael, take the baby out.”
“What?” Lizzie demanded. “Rachael—” She could hear the hysteria in her own voice. Her heart pounded. “What are you doing, Nadine?”
“You’re a bunch of children, taking a dangerous dog-man into the wilderness. There’s no place for a small child. This baby is the light of the world. He is our hope. You will not take him. When you have found your father you may return and live near him.”
Lizzie pleaded. “Nadine, please.” The guards had guns out now, too.
“Lizzie,” Nadine’s voice lowered to that fake, kindly tone adults used to tell you how stupid you were. “He is not your child. You don’t even think you can have children. You found him and almost immediately endangered his life by exposing him to drunkenness and debauchery.”
ALL IS SILENCE Page 21