thought you had a natural disaster stash.”
“I do, but you can never have enough. Especially for the end of the world.”
“Yeah, this is bigger than a collapse or earthquake or something, eh?”
“Think it’s a hologram spawned by the global elites like some sites are saying?”
“Since when are you into conspiracy theories?”
“Since they sound a lot more comforting than some scary entity from who-know-where waiting for who-knows-what in our sky.”
I don’t know. But me and Lia sure hope so.” He paused to look around, then said, “Listen. You know that you can always come to us if you need anything.”
“Same here, Big Bro.” Now Evan paused. “Edison, too?”
Russ tightened his lips. “That depends. But probably, yeah.”
They said goodbye and Russ noticed that Evan didn’t ask him on what it depended.
Russ decided to head straight home with all the gear. He might go out again at night to a local store to pick up even more stuff.
He called Lia again to tell her he was on his way. The line was busy, but then she picked up.
“Russ?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m on my way home.”
She sounded cross. “You keep calling me and I don’t know if you’re calling for help, if something happened, or just to check up....”
“I’ve just been checking up on you, sweets.”
She sighed. “I’m trying to get the latest. But if you keep calling, I have to keep answering instead of getting through to them....”
Russ felt the heat rising from his chest to his head. “Look,” he said, his jaw clenching. “I need to know that you’re okay.”
He heard her take a deep breath. “I know,” she said. “I’m sorry. You’re coming home now?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Okay.”
Russ cursed as he hung up the phone. If this was how she was going to be, how was he going to survive being holed up with her?
A humvee shot out in front of him and he slammed the breaks just in time. He cursed out that guy, too. Then he took a deep breath to steady himself. Getting worked up over everyone’s behavior was bad for survival. And as things were already starting to deteriorate, he needed to stay alert.
He parked the car, then locked the steering wheel and a tire. He kept looking over his shoulder. Then he collected all the gear and headed into the building.
He waited for Lia to open the metal door guard and he came in.
She was on the phone, but she nodded to him and gave him an eyebrow-wiggle as a greeting. Russ locked the door guard and then called the company he got the store cage from. He wanted bars on the window.
“We’re book for the whole next week,” came the answer.
“I’ll pay extra,” said Russ.
“Everyone’s saying that and we’re raking in money hand over fist. Everyone’s making orders now.”
Russ said goodbye.
Then he took his welding tools and metal scrap from the laundry room and got to work on the windows.
Lia came over. “What will the landlord say?” she asked.
“I don’t give a damn,” he said. “If this all just blows over, I’ll work it out with him. But until then....”
She watched him for a moment, then said, “What are all those boots for?”
“An extra pair for me and you—figure out which ones fit you right—and then the rest are for bartering.”
She stood there watching him with her arms crossed.
He finished one window by making an X out of iron poles. As he stood back to scrutinize his work, Lia said, “Are we going to continue getting all irritable with the each other because we care about each too much to let each other out of sight for more than a minute?”
He turned to look at her. “You weren’t worried about me. I was the one calling you.”
“I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t know if you would be in the middle of something or what.”
She stood there in her white fleece pajamas, her shoulders sagging, looking unhappier than he had ever seen her.
“C’mere, baby,” he said.
She moved toward him and he
“I do, but you can never have enough. Especially for the end of the world.”
“Yeah, this is bigger than a collapse or earthquake or something, eh?”
“Think it’s a hologram spawned by the global elites like some sites are saying?”
“Since when are you into conspiracy theories?”
“Since they sound a lot more comforting than some scary entity from who-know-where waiting for who-knows-what in our sky.”
I don’t know. But me and Lia sure hope so.” He paused to look around, then said, “Listen. You know that you can always come to us if you need anything.”
“Same here, Big Bro.” Now Evan paused. “Edison, too?”
Russ tightened his lips. “That depends. But probably, yeah.”
They said goodbye and Russ noticed that Evan didn’t ask him on what it depended.
Russ decided to head straight home with all the gear. He might go out again at night to a local store to pick up even more stuff.
He called Lia again to tell her he was on his way. The line was busy, but then she picked up.
“Russ?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m on my way home.”
She sounded cross. “You keep calling me and I don’t know if you’re calling for help, if something happened, or just to check up....”
“I’ve just been checking up on you, sweets.”
She sighed. “I’m trying to get the latest. But if you keep calling, I have to keep answering instead of getting through to them....”
Russ felt the heat rising from his chest to his head. “Look,” he said, his jaw clenching. “I need to know that you’re okay.”
He heard her take a deep breath. “I know,” she said. “I’m sorry. You’re coming home now?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Okay.”
Russ cursed as he hung up the phone. If this was how she was going to be, how was he going to survive being holed up with her?
A humvee shot out in front of him and he slammed the breaks just in time. He cursed out that guy, too. Then he took a deep breath to steady himself. Getting worked up over everyone’s behavior was bad for survival. And as things were already starting to deteriorate, he needed to stay alert.
He parked the car, then locked the steering wheel and a tire. He kept looking over his shoulder. Then he collected all the gear and headed into the building.
He waited for Lia to open the metal door guard and he came in.
She was on the phone, but she nodded to him and gave him an eyebrow-wiggle as a greeting. Russ locked the door guard and then called the company he got the store cage from. He wanted bars on the window.
“We’re book for the whole next week,” came the answer.
“I’ll pay extra,” said Russ.
“Everyone’s saying that and we’re raking in money hand over fist. Everyone’s making orders now.”
Russ said goodbye.
Then he took his welding tools and metal scrap from the laundry room and got to work on the windows.
Lia came over. “What will the landlord say?” she asked.
“I don’t give a damn,” he said. “If this all just blows over, I’ll work it out with him. But until then....”
She watched him for a moment, then said, “What are all those boots for?”
“An extra pair for me and you—figure out which ones fit you right—and then the rest are for bartering.”
She stood there watching him with her arms crossed.
He finished one window by making an X out of iron poles. As he stood back to scrutinize his work, Lia said, “Are we going to continue getting all irritable with the each other because we care about each too much to let each other out of sight for more than a minute?”
He turned to look at her. “You weren’t worried about me. I was the one calling you.”
“I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t know if you would be in the middle of something or what.”
She stood there in her white fleece pajamas, her shoulders sagging, looking unhappier than he had ever seen her.
“C’mere, baby,” he said.
She moved toward him and he
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