“You’ll have to say something about it, sir. Something along the lines that though people are hungry we must maintain order or we’ll never beat this. I have Wilson preparing a couple of drafts.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Laura reached her hand across the bed and whispered, “Jack, I think someone’s trying to break in.”
Jack bolted upright and strained for sound.
“There was a loud bump, like someone trying to shoulder the door down.”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“I was up. I’m not going crazy.”
“All right, I’ll check it out.”
Jack swung his legs off the bed and tiptoed out the bedroom. He snaked his arm around the doorway and flicked a light on. Nothing. He walked over to the front door and confirmed it was locked. He headed back to bed when he noticed his grandmother’s arm sticking out underneath the curtain and rushed over to her.
“Oh my God! Laura! Laura!”
Laura trotted in, finding Jack on the floor, cradling his grandmother.
“She’s gone. Grams is gone.” Jack starting crying as Laura tried to find a pulse.
Jack pointed to the empty pill bottles. “It’s no use. She’s gone.”
Laura grabbed a tissue box and knelt down, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Jack.”
“I can’t believe she did it. Why’d she do it?”
“She said she wanted to go her way, Jack. It was her last wish.”
“Wish? Come on, this is insane.”
“I know, nothing’s right anymore.”
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do without her.” Jack wiped his runny nose.
“It’ll be all right, Jack. With time, things will be better.”
“She was my mother, Laura, it’ll never be better.”
“I know how much she meant to you. She meant a lot to me, too, you know. I’m just saying that over time the pain dulls, that’s all.”
“What should we do? Call the police? Right Age?”
“Uh, you sure? She wanted us to, uh, use her body. Remember?”
Jack shook his head. “I can’t. No way.”
Laura put her hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I understand, but look at us. We’re disappearing. I don’t have the strength. Geez, I’m in bed by nine every night.”
As if on cue, Jack’s stomach growled like an attack dog. He lifted his grandmother and placed her gently on the bed. Laura pulled the curtain closed and grabbed Jack’s hand.
The couple sat on their couch.
“I don’t know what we should do,” Jack said.
“I know, but if we call the Right Agers, they’ll take her to process her and we get no benefit. Besides, it was her wish to help sustain us. I wish my parents would have did it her way.”
“Yeah, but at least we won’t get in trouble.”
“We can figure this out, Jack. That is, if you’re okay with all of it.”
“Okay with eating my mom? It’s crazy.”
“Yeah, but it’s the smart move, Jack, and you know it. If we don’t, what did we accomplish?”
Jack sighed and shook his head. “You’re right. What’s the freaking difference between chomping on a stranger or a family member?” He shook his head. “My God! How the hell did we get here?”
“It’s a nightmare.” She reached for Jack’s hand. “Thank God we have each other.”
Jack put his arm around her. “You’re all I got now. We’ll get through this, I promise you. No matter how bad it gets, we’re gonna survive this.”
“You think so?”
He shrugged. “We’re not going out without a fight, I can tell you.”
“So what do you think we should do?”
“Much as I hate to say it, let’s respect Gram’s wish.”
“Good, I know it’s tough, but we have no choice and really she would’ve been—”
Jack held up a hand. “We’ve got to be smart about this, otherwise someone will be munching on us.”
Laura shuddered and Jack patted her thigh.
“What do you think we should do?”
“We can’t do this alone, Laura. We’re gonna need somewhere to put her. They’re gonna come looking for her, I can tell you.”
“Who’s gonna help us? I mean, we can’t trust anybody.”
“Joe.”
“Joe Miller? Are you crazy? He stole from us! He pointed a gun at me. I can’t stand to even look at him.”
“Look, we know him and what he did. It’s better to know who you’re dealing with. Besides, Joe worked in a lot of restaurants.”
“I don’t know, we can’t trust him.”
“Look, if he pulls any bullshit I’ll take him down with us.”
“How you going to do that?”
“The reservoir incident. I’ve got pictures showing him with a tube to steal water. I swear, he screws around, I’ll put them out.”
“You think that’d stop him?”
“I’ll tell him up front and let him know this time his kids will lose their rations as well.”
“The kids? Oh Jack, no. They’re innocent. Don’t pull them into this.”
“Don’t worry, Lor, it’s just to keep him in line.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“I’ll handle Joe.” Jack stood. “Look, while I go talk with him . . .”
“You’re going now? It’s the middle of the night.”
He headed for the door. “We need to move her down to Joe’s when nobody is around. Anyway, I need you to go through Gram’s stuff and get rid of whatever she’d take on a trip.”
“What for?”
“To make it look like she took off to avoid being euthanatized. We’ll report her missing in the morning, and when they come round, we gotta be sure it looks real.”
“Jack, wait, don’t go yet.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Let’s say our goodbyes while we’re alone.”
Jack and Laura hovered over the body and, after planting their last kisses, recited the Lord’s Prayer. The couple made the sign of the cross and Jack headed for the door.
***
Jack entered the crowded lobby of his building and spotted two uniformed officers interviewing some of the residents. He kept his head down and took the elevator to his apartment.
He closed the door. “Lor, the police are in the lobby. I got a feeling they’re here for us.”
“Really? Don’t they have better things to do than try and chase down an old lady?”
“It’s all about control, and I hate to agree, but if they’re lax on enforcement all hell would break loose.”
“Can’t get much worse . . .”
The doorbell rang and the couple exchanged reassurances before Jack headed to the door.
The two officers identified themselves and their mission. Jack and Laura answered several questions before the officers searched the apartment, going through the refrigerator and cabinetry as well.
Empty-handed, they referred to a printout and asked to examine Jack’s SUV.
Jack came up from the garage.
“They’re gone.”
Laura exhaled heavily. “I was really afraid, but it really wasn’t so bad.”
“I don’t know if we got lucky, because I’ve heard some horror stories.”
“You don’t think they’ll come back, right?”
“Tough to say. Who knows, they could be watching us.”
“Watching us? That’s creepy.”
“Don’t worry. We keep quiet and we’ll be okay.”
“What about Joe? We can’t trust him.”
“Come on, Lor. Don’t worry about him. He screws with us and I’ll take his whole family down.”
“You think that would work?”
“I’ll handle him.”
“I hope so.”
Jack grabbed his trench coat off a hook. “I’m going down to see him now and pick up some, uh, of our half.”
***
&
nbsp; Twenty minutes later Jack returned with a pair of bundles tucked under his arms and his pockets stuffed with two smaller packages.
“Check the kitchen window.”
Laura looked out the window to see if any drones were patrolling and drew the curtains.
“All clear.”
Jack put the neatly packed aluminum foil parcels on the kitchen counter.
“This should last us eight days and give us more calories and nutrition than we’re getting now. We can sure use it. We’ll store our rations, maybe double up once a week, we’ll see.”
Laura stared at the packs.
“What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know, just kinda surprised. They’re packed pretty nicely, right?”
“Well, Joe worked in a lot of kitchens, working his way through college.”
She picked up a smaller pack. “Where we going to put all this?”
“In the freezer.”
“But if they come back we’re gonna get caught.”
“Joe salted everything down before freezing it. So if we gotta move it out, they’ll keep.”
Joe swung open the freezer and loaded two larger and one smaller pack. “We’ll have one now. Get a skillet out.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?”
“Joe said to pan fry it till it browns.”
Laura frowned and grabbed a pan, setting it on a burner. Then she started to put on her kitchen gloves when Jack said, “What’re you doing?”
“I, I don’t know. I guess all of this is grossing me out.”
“You’re the one who said we had to do it.”
“I know, it’s just . . .”
“Look, we gotta look at this as food. Just because of where it came from doesn’t make it any different from half the stuff we’re eating now.”
Laura slowly unwrapped the slab of flesh and stood staring at it for a second before adding oil to the pan. It sizzled quickly and Jack slid the flesh filet into the pan.
They hovered over the cooktop, inhaling deeply.
Laura said, “It smells just like chicken.”
Jack wiped a drizzle of drool away from his mouth. “Chicken. It’s been a long time.”
Laura turned the flesh over and sprinkled some salt on it as Jack, stomach growling, set the table.
“You think it’s ready, Jack?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“How would I know? It’s the first time I ever cooked human flesh.”
Jack said, “I don’t think it’d be any different than chicken.”
“I’ll give it another minute.”
“I’m starved, take it off now.”
Laura sliced the slab of flesh in half and plated the pieces. They took their plates and sat at the table. The couple locked eyes for a second before Jack cut off a piece and rammed it in his mouth. As he gobbled the piece, Jack’s head bobbed as he mumbled, “It’s good, real good.”
Laura made the sign of the cross and tucked into her plate, humming as she devoured the meat.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Pennsylvania Avenue was a battlefield. Legions of soldiers kept a swelling crowd a hundred yards from the firemen struggling to contain a blazing fire. A convoy of fire trucks bordering the FBI building were soaked in spray from the wind-blown streams of water meant to douse the fire. The monitor’s display shifted to further down on Pennsylvania with a scene that was nearly identical. This time it was the Justice Department building that was billowing in smoke as a mob battled with riot police.
***
National Security Advisor Brown, who cleared his throat almost every time he spoke, opened the meeting.
“To a degree, we seemed to have dodged a bullet. Though the damage to the FBI and Justice buildings was substantial, it could’ve been a lot worse.” Brown swallowed. “Preliminary investigations are inconclusive as to whether this was organized or spontaneous. Fortunately, the drone footage we captured of the incident enabled us to place in custody eight of ten people we believe are responsible.”
As Brown cleared his throat, the deputy director of the FBI said, “Let’s make damn sure we make an example of them. Do it quickly, and do it in public.”
Brown continued, “Agree totally. Maybe they can be hung at the Lincoln Memorial. But moving on, we’re expanding the perimeter around the White House by an additional two hundred yards and have cancelled the public tours. It’s just too risky.”
The president’s shoulders sunk.
“I know you don’t approve, sir, but what happened on Pennsylvania is only a couple blocks away. The situation is just too volatile.”
Garland offered, “The Secret Service has recommended the National Guard supplement the capital police, and I think it’s a good idea, sir.”
The president shook his head. “I know all these plans are well intentioned, but it looks bad, don’t you think, Pete?”
Garland said, “We’ve got to ensure your security, sir. We’ll offset it with regular public appearances where we’re in total control of the security. You can press the flesh there and we’ll make sure it’s covered by the press.”
Brown took the president’s silence as a cue to continue.
“These steps, while important, are not sufficient. My recommendation is to have all personnel operating critical departments secured on military bases. That way the government will be assured of its ability to provide essential services, no matter what comes up.”
“What is the definition of critical?” Speaker of the House Ryan said.
“Well, for starters, all White House and congressional senior staff—”
“You want me to abandon the White House? Run and hide?” The president blinked.
“No, sir, certainly not. Our plan is to insulate the nation’s leadership to ensure we have a functioning government. We’d be able to shuttle you safely, when necessary, to the White House from Andrews, and at other times you’d be insulated from any possible assault—”
“Insulate? I think you mean isolate.” The president stood and the attendees jumped to their feet. As he made his way out the door, he said, “I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense.”
The door closed and Ryan said, “It’s a terrible idea.”
“Really? What we’re planning is to have several bases throughout the country not only be secure but self-sufficient. We’d cordon off enough property to feed and house the occupants.”
“You’d be creating a class of elites.”
“I don’t know about elites, but what I do know is without a functioning government we’ll have the type of anarchy they have in China that can only be repressed with brute force. Is that what you want?”
“Let’s take a step back, folks,” Garland said. “I agree the idea evokes images we don’t associate with America, but it is our duty to explore ideas. We’ve got to be ready if things begin to spin out of control.”
“But you saw how the president reacted. He’d never go along with it.”
“I’ll handle the president. Meanwhile, I’d like Brown’s plan to be totally fleshed out. Brian, I’d like the both of you to work together on this.” Two heads nodded and Garland continued, “Be ready to present to me in a week.”
***
Jack navigated the dimly lit stairwell to his apartment’s floor. He cracked the door open, looked both ways, and scooted to his apartment. Laura was waiting in the dark for him.
“How’d it go?”
“No problems. You don’t have to get so uptight. I told you everything’s going to be okay.”
“You’ve been saying that for years and look at us.”
Jack took packages from under his trench coat and laid them on the counter. As he peeled off his coat there was a knock on the door.
The couple exchanged glances. Jack put his finger to his lips, motioned toward the aluminum foil, and whispered, “Put them away.”
Laura opened the refrigerator, but Jack shook his head and pointed under the cou
ch as the knocking continued. Jack ripped off his pants and shirt and tossed them in the bedroom behind Laura.
“Okay, okay, hang on a minute.”
Jack pulled the door open.
“Jose? Is everything okay?”
His neighbor pushed his way into the apartment.
“Hey, hold on, Jose. It’s one o’clock in the morning.”
“I ain’t no fool, Jack. I saw you.”
“Saw me? What are you talking about?”
“I followed you two times already. I know what’s going on.”
“I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about.”
“Oh yeah, you think I’m stupid. I figured it out.”
“Figured what out?”
“I could tell you and Laura was looking better. I even asked you, and you said you’d stopped exercising to save calories, but then I remembered you saying that a long, long time ago. So I was thinking, and then, bingo, it hit me.”
Laura called out, “Jack, who’s there?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The pieces came together. I don’t know why it took me so long.”
Laura came out of the bedroom pulling a robe on.
Jack said, “What pieces? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jose.”
“Well, your grandmother supposedly ran away, and you and Laura gained some weight. Then I see you going down to Joe’s. I asked him and he gave me some story. But you know what? Them kids are looking better, too.”
“Jack, what’s going on?”
“I honestly don’t know. Jose’s rambling on, like he’s uncovered some great secret or something.”
“Jose, what’s the matter?”
“Laura, I’m sorry and all for coming so late, and I don’t wanna cause any trouble for you, but I know what you guys did, and all’s I want is to get some for my family.”
“Some of what?”
“The meat from your grandmother’s body.”
“That’s complete nonsense.” Jack hoped he hadn’t hesitated too long.
“Oh yeah?” Jose headed toward the refrigerator and Jack stepped in front of him.
Laura said, “This is crazy. We should throw you out, Jose, but you know what, Jack? Let him check. He’ll see there’s nothing there.”
The Final Enemy Page 23