by Karen Carr
“You are really a control freak, aren’t you?” Zeke said.
“No, I am not a control freak,” I said, annunciating each syllable. “But I am upset. I didn't expect all of this. I have the right to be upset.”
“Did you expect everyone in those apartments to come back?” Zeke grabbed the bag of keys from me. “They’re all dead. Get it through your head.” He slammed the bag on the ground and keys flew out in every direction. Boa and Zora gasped, but I did not. Zeke was so close to me now, I could feel his warm breath.
“But. . .” I said. I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I just wanted to have my dream,” Boa said. She pushed past me, tears rolling down her cheeks, and left the store.
“Thanks a lot,” Zora said, and followed her sister out of the door.
I stared at Zeke, willing myself to say something else. He stared at me, looking like he was never going to talk to me again. I didn’t know how everything had gone so wrong. I stared at his chest, heaving with strong, slow breaths. On impulse, I reached out and placed my hand on his shirt, over his heart. His chest felt hard as a rock, but warm and sensual. A flash of humility crossed his eyes as he pushed my hand away.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” Zeke snarled.
Suddenly there was a loud and unmistakable thwop-thwop noise overhead. The helicopter was back. Zeke ran out of the store and I followed him and looked up into the sky. Far to the east of us, there was the large Russian helicopter, the Hind the Professor had called it, flying in large sweeping circles. It was coming to get us.
Chapter 24: Guns
April 10th
101 Oval Park Place
Purefoy Church
Haverlyn Village
The noise brought everyone to the green, including Trevan and Lily. When I saw Huck, my heart skipped a beat. His eyes ran over the group, and then met mine. For a brief moment his expression changed from one of panic to relief before it filtered back to neutral.
The helicopter was flying over the southern part of the village. It wasn’t clear if the people on board had seen us this time, or if they had flown directly overhead the green to witness our cultivation.
Reverend Mac and Archie stood with their wives and the children, their heads bowed in a circle of conversation. Trevan and Lily joined my side while Huck, Eliza and Zeke gathered next to Zora and Boa. We all moved closer together like three warring tribes meeting against a common enemy. All at once, people began talking.
“We have to get a signal to them before they get too far away.” Reverend Mac began waving his hands in the air.
“We have to get out of sight.” Huck glared at me and then nodded to Zeke.
“Now,” Zeke said. “Get to the church. Drop everything and get to the fucking church.” Zeke began herding us, pushing us in the direction of the church.
The helicopter circled back toward us in a lazy arc. It would be upon us in minutes. Saudah’s message was ringing in my ear. Don’t tell them where you are. We can trust no one.
“That’s a Hind, you idiot,” Trevan shouted at the Reverend and pulled down his hands. Lily looked pale and was motionless.
“Come on, Mac,” Zeke said. “Time to put operation hideout in action.” Archie, Easter with Mikey, Zora and Boa ran toward the church. Reverend and Shelly Mac, with Maxwell and Harper, followed the others across the green.
“Lily, please,” Trevan said. She snapped out of her fog and ran along with Trevan to the church.
The helicopter was getting perilously close. They were surely about to spot us if they hadn’t already.
“Run, you idiot,” Zeke bellowed at me before he ran after Eliza.
Huck took my hand and squeezed it lightly. I looked up at the Professor’s window, made a gesture across my throat hoping he would see it, and then broke and ran. The helicopter’s sound was now pounding through my chest, coupled with my raspy breath.
I tore through the green with no thought to the growing vegetables, trampling baby lettuce and asparagus and tripping through the strings for the vines. On more than one occasion, Huck prevented me from falling on my knees by swiftly catching my elbow. We crossed the street together and entered the church just behind Zeke.
Once we were in the church, Zeke ordered us below. I wasn’t sure where, but the others who had attended the services seemed to know. They ran to the front of the church. Lily and I exchanged tentative looks, and then followed. Reverend Mac took out a set of keys, went into a little alcove covered by a tapestry and opened a door. We all shuffled through it, and down some dark spiral steps. The steps led down and down, finally ending in a small vestibule with three doors, one on each side.
After a bang and a click it was suddenly pitch black. I let out a small yelp and then heard a key turn. Everyone stood silently, barely breathing and not moving an inch, like they had rehearsed this moment over and over again. I could tell by the firmness of his chest and by his size that I was pressed up against Zeke.
I heard the soft tap-tap-tap of Reverend Mac’s feet down the staircase and saw a beam of light from a flashlight. Reverend Mac pressed next to me, pushing me further into Zeke’s chest. I heard Zeke catch his breath as my hand touched his torso for balance. The creak of a hinge heralded freedom of movement and we all washed through the open doorway like salmon. Someone turned on a light.
We were in a sub-basement apartment below the church. This is where Reverend and Shelly Mac had survived the apocalypse and where they had been living with Harper and Maxwell. The giant living room had walls of stone like the rest of the church. On the far side, there was a kitchen, complete with stove and double oven. There was a big arch leading to another passage, which I assumed lead to the sleeping quarters and bath rooms.
“Do you think they spotted us?” I asked as I looked around the luxurious quarters. Shelly Mac and Easter went to the kitchen and began clanking around in there, filling a tea kettle, bringing out glasses from the cupboards, and juice from the fridge. Zora and Boa had disappeared down the hall, no doubt licking their wounds from our earlier confrontation. It reminded me that I still had the bag of keys from Zora and Boa’s shop with me, and I set it down on the floor.
“What’s this all about now?” Reverend Mac asked. He sat in a large wooden chair, took off his glasses and began cleaning them. “How can you run from the government?”
“There is no government.” Huck said. He stood next to Eliza and next to her was Zeke. The lucky girl was bookended by handsome. Easter had gathered the younger set and served them juice and chips at a table. Archie had joined Reverend Mac, sitting next to him in another wooden chair. Trevan paced back and forth behind the two older gentlemen.
“How do you know?” Reverend Mac asked. He put his glasses back on. “There are bound to be some forces left. Over two million people serve our country, over seventy five thousand are in North Carolina alone. You are telling me they were all wiped out? Military bases are also the most protected establishments in the country. It is distinctively possible that we have a whole entire army out there.”
Trevan harrumphed from behind the two old men. They both turned around to recognize him. “The most protected, Reverend, true. But they are also the most vulnerable if the virus attacked from the inside. If one of those men were infected, that one person would have wiped out all of them. Sure, certain bases would be easier to quarantine, and it is entirely possible that the President has survived, but the most likely scenario is that they are all dead.” Trevan stomped the ground for emphasis.
“That’s a little neurotic, don’t you think Trevan?” Lily said. She was standing by my side.
Trevan looked hurt and frustrated. “Don’t tell me you want to go out there, Lily. I thought we had been through this.”
“How do you know they’re friendly?” Huck turned to us, and regarded me for a few seconds with an expression of concern. Maybe he finally understood my point of view. “How do you know they won’t lock us up and take over the village? For a history lesson L
ily, why don’t you tell us what the Europeans did to the Indians?”
Lily stared me like she was remembering my zombie killing abilities and the fear I had about anyone finding out. I tried to plead to her with my eyes. “Oh, all right,” she whispered.
“There’s plenty of room here. You said so yourself,” Reverend Mac said to me. He was twiddling with his glasses again.
“Yea, but not for them,” Zeke said. His arms held Eliza protectively. “They’ll come in and take over.”
“Or maybe they’ll rescue us,” Archie said. “Maybe they’ve found other places like this. Maybe they know something that we don’t. Maybe they can help us.”
Zeke scoffed. “That’s a lot of maybes old man. We don’t need their help. We’re doing fine.”
“He’s right,” Trevan said. “That’s not an American helicopter. Those are renegade freaks flying that thing. It is bogus, I’m telling you.”
“So what are we going to do?” I asked. Lily put her hand on my elbow. Her touch made me realize that I was shaking. “They’re going to see the green and all we’ve done to it. They probably have already landed.”
“You’re right,” Huck said. “We need to get more guns.”
“We’ll take Hella’s Lexus.” Zeke stretched out his hand, like I was just going to give him my keys.
“I’m going too,” Trevan said. “There’s a gun shop down the road. I can show you where.” He opened his jacket, took out his pistol and checked it for bullets. Lily pinched my arm, and when I pulled away she mouthed sorry, but her eyes were filled with grief.
“Can I come?” Maxwell asked. Shelly Mac looked at the Reverend and shook her head.
“Yes,” the Reverend said. “We’ll need someone on our side to go with them.” Shelly Mac looked surprised and disappointed, but went back to picking up the dirty dishes from the kid’s snack.
“Sides?” Huck asked. He stepped over to Reverend Mac, who had risen from his chair. “This isn’t about picking sides.”
“Yea, it is,” Zeke said. He came between Huck and the Reverend and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “We need to all pick the same side. We are going to do things my way or no way.”
“We need to do this peacefully,” Reverend Mac said as he put a hand on Zeke’s.
“We’re not going to have a shoot-out,” Zeke said. “But if they come, and if something goes wrong, we need to be prepared, agreed?” Zeke glared at everyone like they had any choice but to agree with him. “If they are out there, if there is any sign of them landing, we are going to have to defend the village, got it?”
“Like a shootout?” I asked. My knees felt weak.
“Yea, baby, we’re going to have to kill them all.” Zeke’s tone was so mocking that it made me want to hit him, but I didn’t want to offend him by touching him again.
“We can give the village up,” I said. “We can still be protected outside the village.” I was going to tell them all about my virus.
“Hella, don’t,” Huck said. Trevan glared at me in a friendly-concerned way and Lily tweaked my elbow again. They didn’t want me to talk.
“What if we all went to the gun shop together?” I asked, thinking that at least I could keep everyone safe without telling them that I was doing so.
“That would never work, Hella,” Huck said. “Think about it. All of us lumbering down the street together, trying to agree on what to do and everyone wanting to go in different directions. Kids, adults. We’d never make it. Even if we didn’t see one stinking zero, we’d still be risking everything because those guys out there are evil.”
Huck took something from his pocket and laid it on the coffee table in front of everyone. It was the walkie-talkie from Saudah’s house. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but I talked to Saudah and our Sargent Enroy, and he is not a good guy.”
We all stared at the Walkie-talkie like it was a bomb ready to explode.
“Huck?” I asked. I felt betrayed.
“I didn’t tell them where we were, or anything,” Huck said. He came closer to me and touched my hair. “A couple of days ago, your friend, Saudah, was able to get the Walkie and contacted me. She told me things. They’ve been doing experiments. The Walkie went dead before she could tell me anything more.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” My face was hot with anger.
“It was just a couple of days ago and we haven’t been…” Huck looked hurt, but he should have told me.
“Who cares about us? My friend contacted you and you didn’t tell me because of what? A grudge? She’s my best friend. You should have swallowed your pride and told me immediately.”
“It wasn’t pride, Hella…”
“Can you guys do this later?” Zeke interrupted Huck. “We need to get going to the gun shop.”
“I’m going with you,” Eliza said, touching Zeke’s arm.
“Sure,” Zeke said, like her request was nothing. “You still have your pistol?” Eliza patted her pocket.
“Why does she get to go?” Lily asked. “I’ve got my pistol.” Lily opened her coat to reveal her gun.
“Get to go?” Zeke asked. “It’s not like a party. If it’s any of your business the three of us fight well together. We’ve been through a lot more than you have sitting in this fancy village. She has earned her right to go.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Trevan said, and then turned to Lily. “You need to watch her.” He pointed to me.
The gun shop wasn’t that far, maybe a few miles south. It was away from the city down a country road, so it was probably going to be a safe trip. The most dangerous part would be getting to the Lexus, which was parked in front of Pizza Adamo. I had no idea if the small country road leading to the gun shop was clear of vehicles but chances were it was. Even if it wasn’t, they could drive through the fields to get there.
“Don’t leave these people,” Huck said.
Zeke glanced at me with a puzzled expression before giving Huck a quizzical stare. When Huck gave him no words, curiosity left Zeke’s eyes and he put on his jacket.
“Let’s go, bro,” Zeke said. He slapped Eliza on the butt.
“You have got to stop that,” Eliza said, but her smile told me she enjoyed it.
“Promise to stay down here, ok?” Trevan said to Lily.
“Promise,” Lily said. They embraced for an extra-long time, making my eyes wander to Huck. He was staring at me with heart-felt eyes. I wanted to rush into his arms, but something deep inside of me kept me from him.
Reverend Mac took the rescue party up the spiral staircase and came back down alone shortly thereafter.
“Why don’t I bake some bread?” Shelly Mac said.
“I can help you,” Easter said. “Come on, Harper, Mike, you can help.”
Easter and Shelly Mac took the children into the back into the kitchen. Soon, the underground apartment was filled with sounds of blenders, cups clanking, and old ladies chatting. I wondered how they could cook at a time like this, but I bet that’s how the Reverend’s wife survived for so long. No wonder they weren’t emaciated like everyone else.
Reverend Mac and Archie whispered about something quietly by the propane fire. Boa and Zora were sitting on the couch, and Lily was sitting at the dining room table. I joined Lily at the table, not wanting to engage the sisters. I was still mad at them for ruining my work. Shelly Mac brought us over a warm pot of water, some tea bags and cups along with biscuits and jam.
“You think the Professor will be alright out there?” Lily chose a bag of Orange Pekoe tea and put it in her cup.
“He always is,” I said. I took some chamomile tea. Lily poured the hot water into her cup and handed me the pot. “Although I wonder if he saw anything.”
“He records, doesn’t he?” Lily took a sip of tea.
“Yea, he does.” I put my cup down with the spark of an idea. “Lily, we have to go to the Professor’s and see if he did.”
“Now?” Lily put her cup down too, but didn’t seem as
interested in the adventure as I was. “Trevan told me not to leave.”
I moved my chair closer to her so that the others couldn’t hear. “Since when do you do what he tells you?”
“I’m not going, Hella. The Professor is safe as long as we don’t draw attention to his apartment. Besides, I am the only one here who knows how to shoot.”
“Archie knows,” I said.
“Let’s wait for the guys to come back.” Lily picked up her tea again and held the warm cup in her hands.
Zora came over to the table and examined me with curious eyes. “What are you guys talking about?” She sat in the chair next to mine and motioned to the tea pot with a half lifted and perfectly plucked brow and a tea cup in her hand. Her nails were perfectly manicured and polished a bright red. When did she find the time? Lily poured her a cup of hot water.
“Nothing.” I scooted closer to Lily. Zora was watching me play with my charm bracelet. I stopped immediately.
“Look, I’m sorry,” Zora said. She touched my bracelet and examined the charms with her fingertips. “I really didn’t mean to wreck your research, that’s what you called it, right?”
I didn’t say anything. I was too busy thinking about the Professor.
“I really didn’t think it mattered.” Zora leaned forward like she was part of our secret conversation. Her wavy brown hair smelled like apple shampoo. “I did it for Boa. It made her so happy. We did it for you, too. I thought you’d look so great in some of those outfits. Don’t you like to shop? And Huck, he’d love to see you in a dress, don’t you think?”
I cursed under my breath.
“She’s trying to apologize, Hella.” Lily gave me an encouraging look across her tea cup. “We girls should stick together.”
“She’s right,” Zora said. “So, what were you guys talking about? I heard Lily say you were going somewhere. Can I come?”
“No,” I said, making sure she knew I was still angry by glaring at her. Her eyes were a startling hazel.
“I have got to get out of here,” Zora pleaded, clasping her hands together and intertwining her fingers. “I hate places without windows. It makes me claustrophobic.” Zora looked at her sister, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine.