in much pain?”
“I’m fine,” Tori replied, tight-lipped.
They were obviously talking about her gunshot wound.
“We’ll get you right over to one of the doctors for a look,” Gigi said.
She reached for another, smaller book and made a notation.
“You guys are pretty buttoned up,” I said to Ashley. “It’s like you’ve been doing this a long time.”
Ashley frowned and said, “I know, right? So many people have been coming through. I guess that’s a good thing but . . . it’s so sad. At least it helps us focus on something other than the horror of it all.”
She had said the exact right thing, but it felt kind of . . . rehearsed. She must have said the same thing a few hundred times. That was good news. It meant there were many survivors.
“That’s it,” she declared. “You’re all set. Head on outside and . . . good luck.”
“You too,” I said and headed for the door.
The whole process of being questioned, logged, and filed was unsettling. Knowing that our information might be the first census of a new world was humbling, to say the least. But it helped that the girls were friendly and cute. It softened the sting.
I went back outside to wait while the others finished up. Our bags were lined up together, with Olivia’s giant duffel on the end. Tori joined me a few minutes later. We stood together, awkwardly, not sure of what to say or do next.
“Well,” she finally said. “That was . . . thorough.”
“Seriously,” I responded. “I expected them to ask me for a blood sample.”
Tori scanned the courtyard, deep in thought.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ll go along with the program,” she said. “For now.”
“Well, yeah. I don’t see any better options.”
She gave me a hard look. “Are you still dismissing that radio message?” she asked.
“I’m not dismissing it at all, but we found a group of survivors right here. Why would we travel all the way across the country?”
“Because whoever sent that message wants to fight back,” Tori replied. “These people seem like they’re ready to spend their lives here.”
“That’s crazy,” I said, scoffing. “They’re just trying to make the best of it.”
“I don’t want to make the best of it,” Tori said angrily. “My father’s dead. I won’t forget that.”
I didn’t bother to tell her that I hadn’t forgotten either. I held the grief close to my heart, not letting my true feelings show, because when the time came for me to act, I wanted to do it on my own.
Tori picked up her bag and clutched it under her good arm.
“You do whatever works for you,” she said.
The tension between us wasn’t just because I hadn’t backed her up on going to Nevada. She was regressing back to her old self and closing me out.
“How odd was that?” Kent exclaimed as he strolled from the Quincy Market. “I wonder what time they’re serving tea?”
“It’s wrong,” Tori said flatly. “They’re taking down useless information while all that matters is that those planes could show up at any time and finish the job.”
“They might,” Kent said. “So we should make the best of it while we can, right?”
Olivia and Jon joined us soon after. They hadn’t spent anywhere near as much time being “processed” as I had. I guess that was because I had already given them the information about where we had come from.
“Now what?” Olivia asked, pouting. “Didn’t that big fella say something about food?”
“It’s going to be dark soon,” Jon pointed out. “I don’t want to be outside in case . . .”
He didn’t have to finish the thought. None of us wanted to be around if the planes came back at night, when their laser weapons worked. If anything, we needed to be three levels underground.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Chris said as he strode quickly toward us. “Let’s get you set up with a place to sleep. Then we’ll get you some food and have one of the doctors look at Tori’s gunshot wound.”
“How did you know about the
“I’m fine,” Tori replied, tight-lipped.
They were obviously talking about her gunshot wound.
“We’ll get you right over to one of the doctors for a look,” Gigi said.
She reached for another, smaller book and made a notation.
“You guys are pretty buttoned up,” I said to Ashley. “It’s like you’ve been doing this a long time.”
Ashley frowned and said, “I know, right? So many people have been coming through. I guess that’s a good thing but . . . it’s so sad. At least it helps us focus on something other than the horror of it all.”
She had said the exact right thing, but it felt kind of . . . rehearsed. She must have said the same thing a few hundred times. That was good news. It meant there were many survivors.
“That’s it,” she declared. “You’re all set. Head on outside and . . . good luck.”
“You too,” I said and headed for the door.
The whole process of being questioned, logged, and filed was unsettling. Knowing that our information might be the first census of a new world was humbling, to say the least. But it helped that the girls were friendly and cute. It softened the sting.
I went back outside to wait while the others finished up. Our bags were lined up together, with Olivia’s giant duffel on the end. Tori joined me a few minutes later. We stood together, awkwardly, not sure of what to say or do next.
“Well,” she finally said. “That was . . . thorough.”
“Seriously,” I responded. “I expected them to ask me for a blood sample.”
Tori scanned the courtyard, deep in thought.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ll go along with the program,” she said. “For now.”
“Well, yeah. I don’t see any better options.”
She gave me a hard look. “Are you still dismissing that radio message?” she asked.
“I’m not dismissing it at all, but we found a group of survivors right here. Why would we travel all the way across the country?”
“Because whoever sent that message wants to fight back,” Tori replied. “These people seem like they’re ready to spend their lives here.”
“That’s crazy,” I said, scoffing. “They’re just trying to make the best of it.”
“I don’t want to make the best of it,” Tori said angrily. “My father’s dead. I won’t forget that.”
I didn’t bother to tell her that I hadn’t forgotten either. I held the grief close to my heart, not letting my true feelings show, because when the time came for me to act, I wanted to do it on my own.
Tori picked up her bag and clutched it under her good arm.
“You do whatever works for you,” she said.
The tension between us wasn’t just because I hadn’t backed her up on going to Nevada. She was regressing back to her old self and closing me out.
“How odd was that?” Kent exclaimed as he strolled from the Quincy Market. “I wonder what time they’re serving tea?”
“It’s wrong,” Tori said flatly. “They’re taking down useless information while all that matters is that those planes could show up at any time and finish the job.”
“They might,” Kent said. “So we should make the best of it while we can, right?”
Olivia and Jon joined us soon after. They hadn’t spent anywhere near as much time being “processed” as I had. I guess that was because I had already given them the information about where we had come from.
“Now what?” Olivia asked, pouting. “Didn’t that big fella say something about food?”
“It’s going to be dark soon,” Jon pointed out. “I don’t want to be outside in case . . .”
He didn’t have to finish the thought. None of us wanted to be around if the planes came back at night, when their laser weapons worked. If anything, we needed to be three levels underground.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Chris said as he strode quickly toward us. “Let’s get you set up with a place to sleep. Then we’ll get you some food and have one of the doctors look at Tori’s gunshot wound.”
“How did you know about the
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