by Henson, Lynn
When all that remained of the sandwich was some crumbs on her shirt, she looked at him, “Ok, back to your question, I didn’t know where to go. Everyone I know here was in that massage parlor. I was going to find you in the morning anyway, so I drove back here. Next thing I knew that nurse was banging on my car. I was about to drive away when I saw you up on your balcony.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re alright. Sorry, it’s so dark in here. The power’s out,” he shrugged.
She nodded, “I know. I think it’s the whole city.” She grinned then, “My name’s Bree by the way. Thank you for the sandwich.”
He narrowed his eyes, “I thought your name was Jasmine.”
“Oh, come on. You think any of the girls there would use their real names?” She brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Besides, if I’m going to be crashing here tonight, we may as well get properly acquainted,” she thrust her hand out at him.
He shook it, “I’m Blake. Well, I guess that’d be ok. Especially seeing as you don’t have anywhere else to go. We can stay here until the authorities can get a handle on whatever’s happening in the city. Help yourself to anything in the fridge before it goes bad.”
“I’m going to take a shower if that’s alright. Where’s your bathroom?”
He gestured at a doorway and she moved in that direction. He heard the door close and he let out a sigh. He collected all the dishes and washed them by hand. He had settled down on his couch again when he heard the door open and she peeked around at him, towel around her head. “Can I borrow some clean clothes?” He nodded and got to his feet, she made room for him to get by her and as he passed into his bedroom he noted she’d wrapped a towel around herself. He dug around and found some pants and a blouse that Sherri hadn’t gotten around to picking up and handed these to her. She inspected them briefly and looked at him, “You a cross-dresser or something?”
“No! They’re my ex’s!”
She grinned mischievously. ”That was my next guess.” She held the blouse out at arm’s length. “She didn’t have very good taste, did she?”
“Look, do you want them or not?” not bothering to hide the exasperation in his voice.
“No, no, they’re more than I expected. I didn’t expect you to have women’s clothing at all.” She turned and went back into the bathroom.
He went into the closet in his bedroom and recovered a blanket and grabbed a pillow off his bed. He brought them to the living room and laid them out on the ugly green couch.
She came out again wearing the clothing he had given to her. She walked over and sat on the couch while continuing to rub sections of her hair dry with a towel.
“Got family here?” he asked her.
“No. Just me.”
“Ah,” he noted as if that explained it.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Huh?”
“That you’re going to get a freebie from the girl that works at the massage place.”
“Uh... no. I wasn’t. Should I be?”
“You shouldn’t,” she confirmed, “It’s just that I think that with what’s happening, it’s a very bad idea to be alone.”
“Ah,” he noted as if that explained it.
“Well, why me?” he asked after a pause. “You’ve known me for all of what? Two hours?”
“I don’t know anyone here. And you’ve proven yourself pretty trustworthy... for knowing you for two hours.”
“Are- are you sure?” Blake felt his face flush, “I mean, that’s flattering and all, thank you, but it’s not like I’m like a superhero or something.”
“I’m going with my instincts.” She sat on the couch and started to arrange the pillow and blanket.
“Why don’t I sleep out here. You can take the bed.” he offered.
“No, I couldn’t possibly-”
“Please! I insist!” he took the pillow and blanket off the couch and waited until she got up.
“Well, thank you. See you in the morning.” She shut the door behind her.
Blake sat down heavily on his couch, staring at the flickering candle in front of him. Tomorrow things will be sorted out. He stripped off his shirt, got under his blanket, and tossed and turned until he found the least offensive position and sleep took him.
FIVE
Someone was shaking him.
“Gah,” he protested.
“Come on, we gotta go.”
“Five minutes,” he pleaded.
“It’s been five minutes.” He felt his blanket torn from him. He curled up, trying to stick his head deeper into the couch. Then he gave up and brought himself to a sitting position. “Get changed,” she demanded. “I’ll pack us something to eat.”
He went into his room and stared at his closet in a daze. He selected something and put it on and saw Bree waiting by the door with a sandwich in hand. “Get your shoes on,” she beckoned, looked out the peephole and then opening the door. He stuffed his feet into his shoes and followed her downstairs.
Of the woman from the night before there was no sign. Bree walked straight over to Gun’s car, got in and started it up. He got in the passenger seat and she drove off. He concentrated on eating the sandwich that she’d made for him which was much like the one he’d made for himself last night. This got him to more of an awakened, functional state. “Ok. I’m awake,” he announced. “Where are we going?”
“To get my car.”
He flashed back to the horrors of yesterday, “Oh, no. That was messed up.”
“Come on, back me up here,” she begged.
“Back up? How am I supposed to back you up? I’m not a ninja.”
“I just don’t want to go in there alone.”
“You don’t need me, you were fine yesterday?”
“You really think so?” she smiled grimly, “I was scared to death. Having you there was really helping me keep it together.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.” She put her hand on his to squeeze it, and then returned it to the wheel.
“Well, when you put it that way...” He sighed and mentally girded himself for the unpleasantness to come.
They pulled up again to the rundown apartment building and Bree shut off the engine. Blake got out and looked at the building in the same way as he might a dentist’s office when you’re going there to get your wisdom teeth removed. Bree joined him on the sidewalk, made a fist and gave him a tough look that was meant to encourage him. He sighed and followed her into the complex.
Before he was even ready for it, they were in front of door 216 again and Bree was rapping on the door.
They waited long enough that it took the edge off of Blake’s terror and he tried to peek into the curtained window. Bree knocked a few more times and even tried the doorbell which looked too old to actually still be functional. She looked at him and he shrugged, “Even scary gangsters have to go grocery shopping?”
Bree looked unconvinced. She tried the door and much to Blake’s horror, it opened easily. She slowly pushed it further open and they both peeked in. The TV was on and beer cans still littered the floor in front of it. No one else was in this room. Bree cautiously went inside and started looking through the contents of a small dining table. Blake went inside and joined her at the table. “What are we looking for?” he whispered.
“Car keys.”
It didn’t take long to search the front room and kitchen. Blake even checked the fridge which was full of beer and kim chi. No keys were anywhere to be found. They cautiously entered the bathroom and looked through the cabinets and turned up nothing as well. Blake was almost disappointed when he didn’t find a plastic bag full of cocaine or a pistol in the toilet tank. There was a spartan bedroom as well that they looked through which only seemed to have metal grey suits and several cartons of cigarettes. “That only leaves one more room,” Blake grimaced.
She nodded, “Be careful.”
He pushed open the door slowly, trying to see inside the room and inhaled sharpl
y when he saw the man in the gray suit with his back to the door, just standing there. Blake pointed at him and looked at Bree to make sure she was seeing what he was. She nodded and gestured with her palm that he should wait. They watched a little and he didn’t seem like the same person from yesterday. Blake would’ve guessed he was on heavy meds because he just seemed completely out of it.
“Blake, we need to tie him up or something.”
“Why?”
“I think my keys are in his pocket. I need to search him.”
“Oh yeah? What if he decides to stab us?”
“I think he might have the same thing Gun had.”
“How can we be sure?”
She held up a finger, gesturing to wait and she grabbed one of the beer cans. “Get ready to run if he’s still, well, a person.” He nodded. She tossed the can into the far corner of the room where it hit an end table and bounced noisily to the floor. The man’s attention immediately turned to the noise and he started walking slowly towards it.
“See?” she gestured triumphantly.
“Ok yeah, great. But should we really be touching him?”
“Believe me, it’s way easier to deal with him when he’s like this.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“Let’s go behind him and push him over. You keep him from getting up and I’ll get his jacket off.”
“Ok... but you owe me for this.”
She slipped quietly into the room with Blake at her heels. The gangster was in the corner, twitching in confusion. Together they pushed him and he fell onto his face and Bree grabbed his left sleeve and yanked on it. He got one of his hands underneath him and tried to push himself up, so Blake kicked that hand, and the gangster was sucking carpet again. Bree managed to free one end of the jacket, so Blake got to his knees and used his body weight to keep the gangster pinned to the floor. The gangster hissed and was thrashing around angrily as he tried to turn to face them. Bree struggled to get the jacket off him for a beat and then she started going through the pockets she had easy access to. The gangster managed to get a foot underneath him and pushed up, knocking Blake off of him. Bree pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and flipped it behind her. Blake regained his balance and kicked the gangster with no effect. The gangster was turning to face them, his eyes cloudy and inhuman.
“Blake, get him to stop moving!”
“Easy for you to say!” He grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around the gangster’s head while pushing him backward. The gangster fell, and Bree continued to go through the pockets she had access to. She pulled out keys, “Found them! Let’s go!” As she stood up, the gangster grabbed a hold of her wrist when she let go of his jacket. She screeched and grabbed her own hand, desperate to pull it free. The gangster wasn’t letting go though and Blake had his hands full with keeping the gangster from getting up.
“I can’t get him to let go!” she cried as she tried to yank free. Blake stood up and the gangster was pulled forward by Bree’s panicked thrashing and something tumbled out of the gangster’s jacket. Blake’s eyes widened and he grabbed the knife and brought it down on the gangster’s arm. Blake felt the same amount of resistance that you might feel from popping bubble wrap and Bree fell on her butt, hand still on her wrist, but not still attached to its owner. Blake dropped the knife and retched, mouth filling with his breakfast. He grabbed Bree’s hand and helped her to her feet. Once she was up, they ran out of the room and Blake slammed the door shut. Then he expelled everything in his mouth onto the door. Bree was behind him running in small circles, pulling at the severed hand until she managed to pry it off and hurl it away from her.
“You ok?” she asked, rubbing his back gently.
“No,” he spat, trying to get the awful taste out of his mouth. “Please, let’s just go.”
She helped him up and they walked out of there, shutting the front door behind them.
SIX
“I hope that was worth it,” Blake complained.
“It was. You’ll understand when you see it,” Bree gushed cheerfully.
They were in the back of the apartment building on a back alley where the building’s inhabitants assigned parking spaces were. The spaces were mostly empty, though there was a Mexican family loading up their ten year old minivan with food and valuables. The father eyed them warily as they walked by. Blake smiled at them and Bree paid them no notice. They walked a few more steps and Bree ran ahead excitedly up to a small red car that was backed into a space. The car looked like it was from the eighties. It had flip up lights and some pretty sweet rims. Blake caught up and looked on the back where it read “Corolla GT-S”.
“What? All this trouble for an old Corolla?” he huffed.
“This car is a legend,” she beamed. “You just don’t know anything about cars.” She sprawled herself over the hood, hugging the car with obvious affection.
He sighed loudly at her. “We should get out of here. I don’t know if that guy has friends or minions or whatever.”
“You’re right,” she admitted as she ran the palm of her hand back and forth across the hood. “Get in.”
They got in and Bree spent a little time adjusting her seat and mirrors, then started the engine which rumbled to life. Then they waited.
“Um... Why aren’t we leaving?”
“You have to let the engine warm up,” Bree replied as if it were totally obvious.
At that moment the minivan with the Mexican family roared past them, and out of the alley. Blake wondered at the sudden urgency so he looked in the direction they came from and saw a mob of people walking down the alley in their direction.
“Bree! We gotta go!”
“Another minute I think and the car will be warmed up,” she said looking closely at her dashboard.
He waved his hand in front of her face and pointed at the closing group of people. “Trust me, it’s warmed up!”
She looked in the direction he was pointing and her eyes widened. She slammed the parking brake down with a smack and gunned the engine. They smoothly exited the parking space and drove down the alley while picking up speed. Blake couldn’t help but look behind them. The people were still coming but seemed either unwilling or incapable of moving any faster than their current walking speed. The odd thing about them was that they were completely mismatched. Old women walked with firemen, businessmen, the homeless, and others that wouldn’t normally be walking together. He turned his attention back to the front where Bree was making a right out of the alley and back onto regular city streets. And just like that, Blake was snapped back to the reality that he was familiar with. They stopped at a red light, and he watched traffic go by and people crossing the street. He felt comforted seeing the familiar world all around him and tried to get his mind back on that wavelength.
Before he could get his brain back into a normal mood though, he noticed that Bree was not heading in the direction of his apartment. “I, uh, thought we were done?” Blake asked nervously.
“Almost. One more small thing,” Bree reassured him.
A minute later he was appalled to find himself back at the apartment of horrors. Bree pulled up next to Gun’s car and turned on her hazard lights. “Could you get the bag out of the trunk please?” Bree asked.
“And then we’re going home?” Blake opened the passenger door.
“Yeah. It should be unlocked,” Bree reminded him.
He found the trunk release after a little searching then moved to the back and raised the lid. Inside was a small, white plastic bag, the handles tied together in a bow. He grabbed it, closed the trunk, and high tailed it back.
“Great, thanks.” Bree smiled as he buckled himself in. “That’s for you by the way.”
She checked behind her and accelerated them away from there.
seven
The contents of the bag turned out to be his cell phone, keys, wallet, and his clothing. “Wow, you got my stuff back? This is going to save me a lot of headache.”
&n
bsp; “Enjoy!” she grinned without looking at him. He looked at her as she drove, and she was looking at the road with a fierce intensity that he wished more drivers had. At the same time though, she seems super relaxed. Relaxed intensity? Is there such a thing?
By the time they had returned to Blake’s apartment, he was complaining about people who didn’t know how to drive, how congested the streets were and feeling mostly back to normal. Bree parked the car and shut it off, exhaling a long contented sigh. He looked at her for a second and got out of the car. He stuck his head back into the car, “What are you going to do now?”
She looked a little unsure. “I’m going to get my stuff packed, but beyond that, I’m not sure yet. I need to figure some stuff out.”
“Well, ok. Do you need me to go with you?”
“No. You should take care of your own stuff. I’ll come back later tonight.”
He got out of the car holding his bag and feeling a whole lot better.
“I’ll be back later tonight.” Her tires squealed a little as she drove off.
“Don’t look a gift whore in the mouth,” he shrugged to himself, then walked up and let himself back into his place. He sat on his couch and turned on the tv and when it didn’t turn on, remembered the power was still out. So he got his phone out and scanned the internet for news. There was a lot of speculation about the mysterious infection that was spreading throughout the world. There were lots of viral cell phone videos of the infected roaming the streets. They were advising people to stay inside if you didn’t have to go out. There were rumors of an evacuation in Los Angeles and other cities, but nothing was confirmed at this point. This is like a more disgusting version of the bird flu. Wash your hands. If you’re sick, go to the hospital. He’d called in sick earlier today, and HR had accepted it unquestioningly. His phone was already down to thirty percent and he realized that he didn’t have a way to charge it if he used the rest up, so he turned it off and looked in the fridge. It was empty except for half bottles of condiments and some leftover boxes of stuff he wouldn’t have eaten even if the refrigerator was still on. Well, guess I should grab some dry goods. He walked out, locking up behind him and headed over to the supermarket that was a half block away. The second he walked inside, he could feel overwhelming tension among the customers. A long line of people with shopping carts full of all sorts of goods grumbled as they waited to be rung up. Shelves were noticeably diminished and there were lots of people hurriedly moving up and down the aisles. There was still order, but it was on the very brink of snapping into anarchy. People that bumped their carts accidentally, didn’t say a word to each other. A woman Blake walked by was eyeing another woman’s cart with obvious jealousy. Probably thinking if she could grab whatever it is she wants from that cart and get away with it. She moved on, but he wondered how close she came to just grabbing it. The shelves that had carried water were empty. The produce section looked ransacked, with only scraps of wilted vegetables lying sadly about. He managed to find a couple of loaves of bread that weren’t too squished, a jar of peanut butter, and a couple of different kinds of jelly. All of the over the counter medicinal stuff was gone as well. He decided to get a block of room temperature cheddar cheese with a promise to himself to eat it quickly. On the way to checkout, he lucked out and found a couple of cans of green beans that had rolled under a display. He stood in line for fifteen minutes because the people using credit cards like himself to pay had to be rung up using the old manual credit card imprinter. Conversation in the line was mostly about the rumors that were flying around and how they were responding to those rumors. One person had a close encounter with some infected. Another was leaving with their family tonight and heading to the mountains. Someone else was going to brave the airport and fly home to be with his parents, while another had heard the airport was shut down. He paid for his items and left, more disturbed than when he had walked in.