"It was really nice of Nat to leave her stash up here with us," sighed Barry, stretching lazily where he lay, sprawled out on the roof, looking up at the stars. Beside him, Tara grinned in agreement.
"It's totally fuckin' awesome, that's what it is. Can you believe I've never smoked one of these things until tonight?" the teen giggled. "I mean, I've smoked cigarettes and one of my best friends totally swears that she slipped me some E one night at a rave, but I mean, I don't remember any of it, so I swear she's like totally yankin' my chain. 'Cause like.."
"You know what's been really bugging me?" Emily suddenly asked, cutting Tara off in mid-story.
"The fact that we seem to be dangerously low on munchies?" Barry responded, rifling through a pile of empty packages, looking for any crumb he might find.
"No. That's a good one, and by no means not important, but no. What the fuck happened to number eight?"
"Number eight what?" Tara and Barry said, not really in unison, but close enough to bring on another uncontrollable fit of giggles and laughter from the pair. Ignoring their behavior, Emily continued with her rant.
"I swear there was eight people on top of that bus roof this morning." She was thinking hard, trying to picture the morning's events in her mind again. "But...I'm...there hasn't been enough people," she started counting on her fingers. "Seven...I've only seen seven of them. You guys know what I mean?"
"Truthfully Em, I can't remember shit right now, not as far back as this morning," Barry said, suddenly sounding serious. "It's like I'm just stuck on the sight of Thomas laying there with that fucking little hole in the back of his head, and his face just blown away and splattered all of the goddamn floor."
"Both of you are so dumb," Tara laughed. "I can't believe you don't remember Richard."
"Richard?" Emily asked, trying to remember a face to go with the name.
"Yea. Kinda old, well, like, Thomas kind of old anyway. Short, sorta grayish, maybe brownish hair, brown eyes. Totally forgettable type," described the teen.
"Sounds like half the men who ever tried to hit on me at the clubs," Barry sighed.
"Why can't I remember this guy? I was right there when they got off the bus," Emily complained. "Hell, I was ready to shoot them if they made the wrong move."
"What part of 'totally forgettable' eludes you?" Tara asked, just before taking another long toke.
"Ha ha, aren't we suddenly witty this evening," Emily bit back.
"Ease up Em, she's just trying to make a little joke. Cut her some slack, you're stoned."
"I'm stoned? What the fuck about her Barry? Or you for that matter, if you're gonna start pointing fingers. What the fuck? It was a fucking rhetorical question, I don't need your bullshit, smart ass answers."
Barry was silent, thinking, 'note to self, pot and Emily, not a good combination.' Then Tara had to open her mouth and be sarcastic again.
"Riiiight. Because you never give us smart ass replies. You're just 'little miss know-it-all has to be right all the time' aren't you?"
"Look, arguing about it and getting all bitchy isn't gonna make things any better, so why don't you two just shake hands or bury the hatchet or whatever shit like that works, and agree to disagree about things,like the factthat you're both a couple of sarcastic, little miss know-it-alls, and let's move on shall we?" Barry suggested. While the two women momentarily focused their own little looks of death at him, he swallowed hard, thinking, 'new note to self, scratch that last thought, pot and Emily mixed with pot and Tara, very bad idea.' Whatever gave him the idea that he could be some kind of negotiator between these two, he thought.
"Okay, I'll do it," Tara pronounced proudly, just before ruining the affect by adding, "Just as soon as she admits that she started it all and that she's the bitch."
Emily grinned and it was a downright scary sight. "Sure, I started it all. And I am a bitch, a total bitch, really I am. I mean, it takes such a total monster to ask a reasonable question and expect a reasonable response. And being such a horrible bitchy monster, let me just say that since I must have started this whole little fiasco, then dislocated shoulder or not, I don't got any problem with finishing it."
"Wait a second, I'm the one with the dislocated shoulder, not you!"
"Brilliant observation Tara, really, highly astute of you. I'm saying the fact that you've got a gimp shoulder won't stop me from finishing things. My way. Oh, by the way, is anyone else here packin'?" she asked, patting the pistol laying on the roof beside her. "Cause, say hullo to my leetle friend!"
"Truce ladies! Time-out, or whatever. You're frickin' killing my buzz here," Barry protested, nervous that they really were going to start tearing into each other unless he put a stop to it. He made a new mental note, 'don't ever really piss these women off.' Especially Emily,while Tara definitely could hold her own in the brains department, Emily had a temper that was a hotter red than her hair color, if she ever let her real hair color show. Together though, they were a formidable pair, there was just no way he'd be able to handle it if he was dealing with both their combined wrath, it'd be easier talking to the cannibal critters down on the street.
"Oh fine, Barry, make this all about you," Tara complained.
"Really!" Emily agreed bitterly.
"Good," Barry replied hesitantly. Were they going to start ganging up on him now? Or was this damn weed they were smoking laced with estrogen to make the women crazy? He was seriously starting to wonder. He hoped to God they weren't seriously pissed off at him. Damn, this was some pretty good shit if it was making him this paranoid.
"So what's the scoop on this Dick guy?" Emily asked, changing the subject so swiftly Barry thought he'd collapse in relief. If he hadn't already been laying down of course.
"Dick? Oh, you mean Richard. Not much to say, really," Tara responded.
"There's got to be something."
"Not really. He hasn't said much, at least to me. I think I remember that he said something about being the last one off the bus or something, but that's about it. When you guys were all busy with Vicki and the kids and all that shooting and stuff, I don't know, he just kept to himself really. At least, he did when he wasn't talking to Natalie. I don't remember if he said anything to Allen."
"Where was he when I came back from sitting with Vicki?"
"I don't know. You guys were all out of the of the security office, getting Vicki moved," she closed her eyes as she spoke, struggling to remember. "The roof! You and Thomas were waiting things out with Vicki, Barry and Justin took the kids up to the roof to run around 'cause they was driving me nuts, and then... I remember he said something to Natalie, and I don't think she liked it much. And then he said, just remember to stick to what you've been told and that he'd be on the roof."
"Why?"
"Why what?
"You said you didn't think she liked what he said much, why?"
"She just didn't look very happy. Not for someone who'd just been rescued anyway."
Emily rolled her eyes, it wasn't the information she'd been hoping for. "Go on."
"That's it really. He whispered something to Natalie, just looked at Allen, and left."
"So, all this time he was spending with Natalie, what were they saying?" Barry asked out of curiosity.
"I couldn't really tell, they was kind of whispering and stuff, so I don't think I could have made it out even if I'd tried. He was probably trying to get in her pants or something."
"Or else she was negotiating her price," Barry said.
"Did they act like they knew each other really well? Like maybe father, daughter kind of thing?" Emily asked ignoring her friend's snide comment, and for his part, Barry could almost hear the gears spinning in her head as she digested this new information.
"What's going on in that mind of yours, Em?" he asked.
"Nothing, just trying to get a grasp on our new roommate situation."
"Why, you hopin' he is her Dad so you can have another guy sniffin' after you?" Tara quipped.
"NO. There's just something about this that just doesn't feel right," Emily told her.
"Maybe all the pot has made you just a little bit too paranoid," the teen said in reply.
"Wow. Thanks for that vote of confidence. Maybe all your bruises make you too much of a burden and we should just toss your ass over the side."
"Remember we're all friends here ladies. Let's keep it peaceful," Barry instructed.
"Bite me," Emily declared, climbing to her feet. She paced a short distance away from the others, trying to figure out this new puzzle the Natalie/ Richard dynamic was creating in her mind. When she returned to the others she had one more question to ask. "Okay, Tara, I need you to think long and hard about this. Do you know what Richard meant when he told Natalie to 'stick with what she'd been told'?"
Tara was quiet for a long minute. "I think so," she said at last.
Down in the main office area, Justin still sat watching the twins, desperately trying to fight off the feeling of exhaustion that was slowly catching up to him after the long day's events. Deep down he couldn't shake the terrifying feeling of what had almost happened to the kids the last time he'd let them out of his sight. It wasn't going to happen again he vowed silently to himself, he wasn't going to let his Mom down. Besides, thinking about that gave him something to think about besides what had happened to his Mom. They hadn't let him see the body, but they hadn't been able to keep him out of the bloody aftermath, it was an image that was going to stick with him for a long time to come. Nearby, Allen was fast asleep and snoring loudly. On the far side of the room, Matthew had joined Aaron and Sean in their discussion of what their next step should be. Natalie and Richard were still missing in action.
"But if we try taking that bus, where exactly do you have in mind to go? Besides, that driver said the bus was low on gas," Matthew argued.
"We don't know what 'low on gas' really means," countered Aaron.
"Hell, I was on that bus and I couldn't tell you one way or another what it means. Allen and Richard pretty much handled everything with the bus, the rest of us couldn't get anywhere close to the driver's seat," Sean announced.
"It's worth a shot Mattie. If we can at least make it out of the city I think we'll be able to refuel in one of those small, off the beaten track, backwater towns. There'd be a pretty good chance that there wouldn't be too many of those things hanging around a small town. We should be able to hold them off long enough to refuel and re-supply," Aaron insisted. He was normally a man of action, and all of this sitting around waiting was more than he could handle. It was too close to just flat out giving up for him to stomach. When Sean had suggested the idea of escaping from the building on board the bus to him earlier that day, he'd leaped at the thought. The first obstacle to overcome would be convincing the rest of the group that the plan had merit.
"It just seems like such a pointless, risky endeavor," the medic replied. "Right now we've got a secure building, food and supplies. I don't see any reason to leave this all behind. Especially not for some far-fetched plan we don't even know will work."
"Well I for one refuse to just roll over and give up. It's like we're laying down and waiting to die. We're not even trying to fight back," Aaron bit out angrily.
"Nobody's given up! We're still alive aren't we? That alone is a victory," insisted Matthew.
"Look, gentlemen. There's really no point in arguing about this until we get all the facts together and actual have a definitive plan for what we're going to do. And I'm sure that you'll want the group to vote on a decision too," Sean said diplomatically to Matthew.
"Talk of a vote is just too premature. Think about it, you're talking about a plan that involves dragging two kids and a teenage girl who can barely walk out into the middle of the fucking killing fields," the medic protested.
"We'll be able to work around that when the time comes. But do us a favor, don't hide behind a couple of kids if you're scared. Those two have been through more than you can ever imagine, and you know what? They're gonna be fine. Kids are resilient that way."
"You're insane," Matthew said to Sean after his little speech.
"Maybe so, but there's a very fine line between insanity and genius now isn't there. So, if you're through arguing, I suggest we wake the fat man over there and find out just what exactly the situation is with the bus,"Sean replied.
Down another flight of stairs, in the sporting good section of the department store, two figures lay entwined amid a hastily put together bed of sleeping bags.
"I still don't get why you wanted me to say those things to those morons up on the roof," Natalie purred, combing her fingers through the thick, graying hair on the chest that rested beneath her cheek. She raised her head to look him in the eyes as he answered.
"Simple, if you did your job right, it's all about control." He grabbed a fistful of her hair, wrapping it around his hand and twisting it tight until she whimpered. "Now tell me again, are you absolutely sure they believed you?"
"Yes!" She cried out.
"And did you tell them exactly what I told you to say?"
"Yes," she whimpered, silently adding, 'more or less.'
A/N: Now, a lot of you are going to say to yourselves, "That's bullshit! She can't just add in characters like that." Before the outrage begins, I did say when the bus people arrived, there were 8 of them total, and if you count, in the last few chapters I've only included seven of them. That being said, feel free to complain to management.
D.S.