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  After about an hour, Giz, Jake, and Alice were sound asleep. Barbara busied herself with organizing things as best as she could in the dark. The Ibuprofen was helping a little, but I had to go to the bathroom after drinking all of that water, and my stomach was growling. I needed to relieve myself and get something to eat pretty soon, or I was going to get bitchy.

  “Mic, I hate to be a pain in the ass, but I’ve really got to go to the bathroom. Could you pull over?”

  “Yeah, yeah of course,” he said. He pulled the van to the side of the road and I unbuckled my seat belt. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get myself to a standing position, until I tried to get out of my seat.

  “Do you want me to help you?” Mic asked.

  I met his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity; still, I didn’t want to have him with me when I tried to squat next to the van.

  “If you could just help me get to my feet, I think I’ll be all right.”

  “I’ve got to go too,” said Barbara. Mic got out and opened the back door for her so that she could step out, and then he came around and gave me his hand so that I could get myself down from the passenger seat.

  “Here, take my flashlight,” he offered.

  I took the flashlight from him and worked my way to the back of the van on the opposite side that Barbara had gone. It was difficult to unbutton my pants with my hand, but I managed. I could hear Barbara rustling on the other side, and it gave me a sense of comfort to know I wasn’t out there alone. The wind was still blowing, but it was very warm. I absently wondered what time it was as I struggled to zip my pants.

  “You okay over there?” Mic called out.

  “Yeah, fine.” Barbara said.

  “Lee?”

  “I’m okay,” I said. I couldn’t get my zipper to work with my hand.

  “Do you need help?” Mic asked. The last thing I wanted was help. I wasn’t good at taking help. Still, my stupid hand wouldn’t work and my zipper was stuck. I heard the door open and knew that he was coming. I cursed under my breath as he came around to my side.

  “Here, let me help you,” he said. The moon was bright enough that I hadn’t needed to use the flashlight, and as he pulled my zipper up and fastened the button of my pants, I tried not to meet his eyes. Barbara had already gotten back in the van and there was no sound beyond the rustling wind. I felt a strange tingle in the pit of my stomach as he finished helping me and stepped back. For a brief moment I wondered what it would be like to feel his lips on mine.

  “There you go,” he said with a nervous laugh.

  “Thanks, Mic,” I managed. He walked me around to my side of the van and helped me get back in the passenger seat. His hand lingered on my arm and the warmth that radiated from his touch felt soothing.

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he said with a crooked smile. Barbara had already gotten back in the van, and had curled up next to Jake. Giz was snoring, and Alice was under a heap of blankets. I should have been tired, but I wasn’t. I really needed to eat, but that meant climbing over everyone to get to something, and I didn’t want to do that. I buckled my seat belt as Mic started the engine, and propped my feet up on the dashboard.

  “Are we close?” I asked, when he turned off on to a side road.

  “Yeah, it’s about two miles up ahead.”

  “I really hope your Aunt Maude is okay with all of us crashing in on her,” I said through a yawn.

  “Don’t worry, if she’s still there, she’ll be thrilled that we’re here. She’s got a passion for entertaining.”

  Mic made a left and headed down a steep road that was lined with pine trees. We went on for another half a mile or so before we came upon a white ranch style fence that seemed to go for miles before he finally turned in. Mic drove slowly over the gravel road that led up to the two story house and then he pulled up in the driveway and stopped.

  “Wait here, and lock the doors. If I don’t come back in five minutes, get in the driver’s seat and get out of here. Go back to the gas station and stay in the back house. I know that’s not what Alice wants, but it’s the only place close and you’ll need to sleep,” he said quietly. I nodded and he grabbed the .38 from the console and jumped out, shutting his door softly behind him.

  “Are we here?” Jake whispered from the back.

  “Yeah, but Mic’s going to check to make sure it’s safe for us. Sit tight for now, okay?”

  “Okay. Should I wake them up?”

  “No, let’s let them sleep until Mic comes back, okay?”

  “Kay.” He put his head down and rolled on his side, content to get a little more sleep while he could. I envied that. My body was exhausted and my head was now pounding as hard as my jaw. I pulled down the visor to see if there was a mirror, but there wasn’t. Touching my fingers to my lip, I could feel the swelling, and I was sure the side of my face would be completely black and blue, if it wasn’t already. My stomach rumbled, and I debated crawling in the back to see if I could find something I could eat. The thought of moving, and the pain that would cause, stopped me. I closed my eyes and nodded off.

  Mic’s tapping on the window woke me and I jerked, causing my ribs to explode with pain. I hit the button to roll down the window but it wouldn’t work since the key was shut off so I unlocked the door and opened it.

  “All clear,” he said.

  “Thank God, I’m so tired,” I said, forcing back a yawn so as not to hurt my jaw. Is your aunt awake?”

  “She’s not here. The house is empty.”

  “I’m sorry, Mic.”

  “It’s okay, let’s get the others up and get inside before it gets light.”

  It took us a few minutes to get everyone up, and then Mic led us in. A small table in the entryway was adorned with several candles, and they provided enough light for us to make our way around. The inside of the house was not what I had expected, considering Mic’s financial background. The furnishings were humble, and somewhat dated. There was a faint scent of old books and roses in the air, which reminded me of my grandmother’s house. That unexpected jab at my memories made me feel gloomy. Mic closed the door and locked it, after he and Giz had gone back and forth a few times to bring in all of our supplies. The rest of us took turns in the bathroom, and I got a chance to assess the damage to my face. Holding up a small candle to the mirror, I could see that my right cheek was a deep shade of plum from my ear to my mouth, and my bottom lip looked twice its normal size. Trying to find the positive, I focused on the fact that it would heal and that he hadn’t knocked out any of my teeth. My hand was swollen but I didn’t think any bones were broken, because I could still close it – albeit it hurt like hell to do. My ribs were another matter. I knew that they were broken and just thinking about how much time that would take made me feel sick to my stomach. I turned the faucet and was grateful to find that it worked. I found a washcloth in the drawer and washed my face, and then I soaked it in the water again to get it as cool as possible. After wringing it out with my good hand, I held it to my jaw. Ice would have been better, but it helped.

  When I returned to the living room, Mic was giving instructions and getting things organized. Barbara and Jake had already gone upstairs to sleep, and he was removing items from the bags and boxes we’d brought in the kitchen. “I’ll make us something to eat and then we can all get some sleep.”

  Sounds like a good plan to me,” I said. I offered to help, but he wouldn’t let me. “Just sit down and take it easy. I’ve got this,” he said, grabbing a couple of the plastic grocery bags he’d emptied and tossing them in the trash. With some effort, I was able to lie down on the floral couch, which was surprisingly comfortable. I put the washcloth over my face and dozed off again. I woke up to Mic’s voice, “Hey Lee, do you want to try to eat?” I opened my eyes and he was holding a steaming bowl of chili in front of me. It smelled amazing and my stomach demanded I oblige. I sat up slowly to keep my ribs from aching any more than they already did. “That smells incredib
le, thank you so much,” I said, taking the bowl from him and placing it on the coffee table in front of me.

  “There’s some crackers here too, if you can chew them.” I took two from the sleeve he offered and dunked them in the chili to soften them. Giz sat across from us on a recliner and shoveled a bite into his mouth. “I wish I had an orange soda,” he said with his mouth full.

  “Barbara got you some from the vending machine at the hospital. I saw a few cans,” I said, recalling, “I think they are in your black bag.”

  “Awesome!” he said, jumping up to head to the kitchen.

  “Hey, while you’re in there, bring a beer back with you,” Mic said.

  “Make that two,” I said.

  “They’re not cold,” Mic said apologetically.

  “I don’t care, it still sounds good. Where’d Alice go?”

  “She ate and then I set her up in a room downstairs. She’s in such bad shape physically that I didn’t want her to have to climb the stairs. There’s another room down here that you can use, too,” he added, after taking another bite.

  “Thanks, Mic. Did you find any signs of what might have happened to your aunt?”

  Mic shook his head no. “It’s possible that she got out with a neighbor,” I offered.

  “It’s possible,” he said thoughtfully.

  The beer tasted great, and if I wasn’t so tired I would have had another. Instead, I carried my bowl to the kitchen and accepted an offer to sleep in the bedroom that was across the hall from Alice. The soft sheets were almost too good to be true, and the bed felt fantastic. I was thankful I wouldn’t have to deal with stairs, too. As I drifted off to sleep, my mind flashed with images of my father hanging over the fence, and a mass of other brutal memories that reminded me why I didn’t want to get attached to anyone. Too late for that, I thought, and cursed myself for being so stupid.

  When I woke up, my ribs immediately reminded me of my situation. There was faint light coming in through the closed curtains. I’d slept in my underwear and my tank top, and I was burning up. I pushed the covers off and lay staring at the ceiling. Another day in hell, and it was unbelievably warm already. Deciding I’d better find the bathroom, I got up and gingerly tugged on my pants. I left them unzipped because my hand hurt too much to bother with it. I paused at the mirror, which was connected to an ornately carved dresser that looked to be at least a hundred years old or more. My reflection wasn’t a good way to start the day. My right eye was filled with blood, and my face was so bruised it looked black. I picked up a comb that didn’t belong to me and smoothed my hair down. It had always been stick straight, and since it was cut bluntly at my jaw line, it never really looked any different. I really needed to wash it. A shower was on my agenda for the day, without question. I studied my eye a little closer. Everything to the right of my brown iris was bright red. Just a broken blood vessel, no reason to get freaked out, I told myself, and placed the comb back on the dresser.

  To my relief, the bathroom was unoccupied, and I quietly closed the door behind me. I splashed some cool water on my face after I’d finished going to the bathroom, and blotted my cheek carefully with a towel. I wasn’t about to assume it was all right for me to just hop in the shower, so I walked in to the living room in hopes of finding Mic and asking. Alice, Barbara and Jake were seated at the dining room table, and I interrupted their conversation when I entered.

  “Hey there, how’d you sleep?” Barbara asked.

  “Good — all things considered. Where’s Mic and Giz?”

  “We don’t know. They weren’t here when we woke up,” Alice said.

  “But the van’s still here, so we don’t think they went far,” offered Jake.

  “Have you looked for them?” I asked, fearing the obvious.

  “We did. The front door is still locked and so is the back door and the double doors off the den back there. We figured Mic must have used his key. Maybe they went to scout out the area,” Barbara said.

  “Well, that’s not good enough for me. If something has happened, we need to know, because if simps got to them, it’s only a matter of time before they get to us. I can’t believe you guys didn’t think of that!”

  “Of course we did, Lee, but what else could we do? Alice is in no shape to walk, and neither are you. I couldn’t leave Jake, and I wouldn’t risk his safety trying to drag him out there, especially when I don’t know the area.” She was rationalizing their decisions, but I was already moving back down the hall to get my boots and my knife.

  “Lee!” Barbara called after me.

  “There’s no time to discuss it, I’m going after them!” I shouted back. I sat on the edge of the unmade bed and struggled with one hand to try to get my boot on. I realized quickly that I couldn’t make it work, so I grit my teeth and gripped my boot using both hands. I was mid-way through lacing them when I heard the front door open and close and the distinctive high-pitch of Giz’ laugh. “Son of a bitch!” I said loudly, and stomped down the hall. Mic and Giz were coming toward the kitchen. I noticed Giz was holding two portable bottles of propane, and Mic had a cook stove in his arms.

  “What the hell guys? Did it not occur to either of you that you would have us worried?”

  “Why would you be worried? We were right out there in the barn. You would have heard us if you walked out the front door,” Giz said with a shrug.

  “I –I hadn’t gotten that far,” I said.

  “You okay, Lee?” Mic asked.

  “Yeah. I was just concerned, and they said they’d looked for you,” I stammered.

  “Well, we did look through the house, but we didn’t go outside,” Barbara explained.

  “Mic, is it okay if I use your shower?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject.

  “You might want to wait a few. I just lit the hot water heater,” he said with a grin.

  “You were worried about us, admit it,” he added with a laugh.

  “Of course I was worried!” I spat. “You should leave a note next time.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

  “Okay, you win. We’ll leave a note next time. Now that we’ve got that settled, I’d like to share some good news with the group, if you don’t mind me switching the subject, that is.”

  “Switch away,” I said, waiving my arm dismissively.

  “Not only do we have hot water, we’ve got electricity!” He flipped the kitchen light for dramatic emphasis, and everyone clapped and got all excited about it. I rolled my eyes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have electricity — but it’s not entirely uncommon. The bombs knocked out power grids all over the place, and the simps knocked out more on purpose, but I’d found in my travels that you could find power and water working perfectly in one neighborhood and not at all in another – and in the city, lots of the buildings ran on backup solar or generator power sources. Giz clapped his hands and then rubbed them together. “You know what that means baby!”

  “You can get online,” I said sarcastically.

  “That’s right, and we are ready to go, ready to show!”

  “Do me a favor, Giz?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Could you cut the corporate buzzwords from your vocabulary, and while you’re at it, see if you could uninstall your annoyance app?”

  “Are you trying to say I’m annoying, Lee?”

  “Yeah Giz, I think that’s exactly what I’m trying to say.”

  “Well, would it help to know that the electricity also means air conditioning — and wait for it — the fridge works, and that means ice for your injuries?” This made me smile. I hadn’t thought that through, but ice would be really, really nice.

  “Go get a shower, Lee. My Aunt Maude is about your size. I’ll see if I can find you some clothes to change into, and I’ll leave them on your bed, okay?” Mic said.

  I nodded, turned from the group, and wandered down the hall. I hid myself for the next twenty minutes beneath the lukewarm water in the shower. When I got out, I
wrapped a towel around myself and walked across the hall to my room. The four-poster bed had been made. A pair of jeans and a burgundy t-shirt sporting the “I.D.E.” logo were folded neatly at the foot. I guess Mic had a sick sense of humor. I tried the jeans on and they were a little short, but fit well otherwise. My backpack was at the foot of the bed, and I pulled a plain white t-shirt from it. There was no way I was wearing that abomination of a shirt. I opted to go barefoot since lacing my boots was not working so well. Normally I lived with the mindset of being ready to go in five seconds or less, but I figured with the shape I was in, if the simps came after me I was royally screwed anyway. I stuck my knife in my back pocket, just I case, and headed back to the rest of the group. Barbara and Alice were busy in the kitchen, and I could smell onions and garlic. Jake was sitting at the dining room table, grinning from ear to ear and talking to himself. Then I noticed he had a pair of visagles on.

  “Oh my God, is he hubbing right now?” I asked, pointing at Jake.

  “Yeah, but it’s a totally private network that Mic set up for him,” Barbara said casually.

  “Wow. Really?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he said he has plenty more visagles if we all want to connect,” Alice added, as she stirred something in a pot on the stove.

  “What the hell? You can’t be seriously considering hubbing right now.”

  “I am totally going in as soon as I finish eating. Mic is building out a simulation of Max, so I am super excited about that.”

  “Holy shit. Tell me he didn’t do that for Jake. Tell me he did not create virtual versions of his parents.”

  “He did, and Jake is so happy right now. I think it was incredibly thoughtful of him,” Barbara said.

  “Where the hell is Mic?” I asked.

  “He’s upstairs with Giz,” she said. I couldn’t get up those stairs fast enough. Mic and Giz were sitting in a room that was set up as an office and I interrupted their quiet clacking.

  “Mic, how could you set up a hub for them?”

  He turned and faced me. “How could I not, Lee?”