Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
Asia
He was back.
It took two days, but on the third, when I saw the billowing cloud of dust rolling up the driveway, I knew. It was the same routine as before.
I glanced over at Jack.
Not exactly the same.
He said nothing, and together we watched as the doors opened. There were two men in the truck. Neither of them was Christopher.
“Hi, Asia,” one of the men said. I didn’t remember his name and didn’t try to.
“Hello.”
“Come with us, please,” he said.
“Why?” I asked, looking from one to the other.
“Christopher wants you to come for a visit.”
“What’s the occasion?” Jack asked.
The man smiled. “I assume you must be Jack. He said if you were here, you should come too.”
“Well, tell him we appreciate it, but we—”
“We aren’t gonna turn down hospitality. Are we, Asia?”
I whirled around and saw Uncle Levi hobbling forward slowly. He was on a walker, and I wasn’t even sure how he managed that. Didn’t want to think about how he got down the stairs, or why.
“Levi…” Jack said.
“Hush up, Thorne, and get my shoes, Asia. Grab a jacket. Too bad we didn’t get any notice, because we would have baked a pie.”
Jack looked at me, holding my gaze for a long moment. I looked back at him. The moment was interrupted when Uncle Levi’s walker scraped across the floor.
“Let’s go!”
Jack held my gaze again, and I nodded. “Give us a minute,” I said. “Let me get changed.”
The man shook his head. “No need. We don’t stand on ceremony. Come as you are.”
I nodded and walked down the porch. Jack was half a step behind me and stopped to offer help to Uncle Levi. He took it, but wouldn’t look at either of us.
“Why don’t you and Asia sit in the back? I’m sure the guys won’t mind if I squeeze into the cab,” Jack said.
Neither man said anything, and without speaking, Jack hoisted Uncle Levi into the bed of the truck, folded down the walker, and then did the same to me. His hand lingered on my waist, and he held my gaze. I was cold when he let go.
I looked over at Uncle Levi as the truck rolled away from the farm. “You shouldn’t be—”
“Hush,” he said. His tone left no doubt the decision was final, and besides, what was there to say? It was embarrassing, but I was happy he was here. I reached over and held his hand, didn’t let it go the entire time.
“You all right?” I said to Levi.
We’d made it to town and Jack helped Uncle Levi down.
“Hold on a second, Uncle Levi. We got a wheelchair for ya,” one of the men said.
I knew what this was, saw right through Christopher’s magnanimity, but I was glad when Uncle Levi settled into the wheelchair. He looked pained, but better to see that than him trembling, trying to hold himself on the walker.
Jack
Asia stood behind the wheelchair and looked from one man to the other. “Where to?”
“Mayor’s house. Christopher moved there.”
Asia nodded and pushed the wheelchair, clearly knowing where the mayor’s house was. I let her go two steps before I pushed her aside.
“Get out of the way,” I grumbled.
She looked at me, her eyes flashing before she smiled. I held her gaze for another moment and followed behind her. I hadn’t figured out what this was yet, but I would. And if I had a chance, I would end it.
It took less than two minutes to get to the mayor’s house, the onlookers curious but unwilling to do anything but glance at us. I paid them no mind.
“You all right, Levi?” I whispered.
“Right as rain, son,” he said.
The mayor’s house was beautiful. It took up a solid half block with tall white columns that had flowers painted on them.
“Asia,” Christopher called as the door swung open, “glad you could make it.” He was talking to Asia but looked at me. Then he looked down at Levi. “You, too, Uncle Levi.”
Asia smiled warmly, but her eyes were brittle. False. I wanted to touch her, smooth the crease between her eyebrows, but I kept my hands on the wheelchair, trying my hardest not to crack the handles with the pressure.
“I would say thanks, but I’m not sure I understand the occasion,” Asia said.
“Well, friends don’t need an occasion to get together,” Christopher said.
Asia looked at him, that same warm smile on her face, that brittle look in her eyes.
“Lucky for you, the mayor’s house is ADA compliant. My dad wanted to spend the money on tactical gear, but I insisted,” he said.
“Yeah, that is good,” Asia said, and she watched as I pushed Uncle Levi up the ramp and into the house. It was dim, with candelabras on either side of the double entryway.
“Yeah, we got a generator, but I try not to be wasteful,” Christopher said.
I wheeled Uncle Levi in. Asia stood behind me, and Christopher was behind her. I took note of the two doors, one to the left, one to the right, the two men who were set up at the top of the stairs, and most of all, how close Asia was and how close Christopher was.
“We try to keep the windows open as much as we can, let the sunlight in,” Asia said.
“Yeah, but it gets so hot,” Christopher said.
I didn’t let myself look at him and instead listened to his voice as he moved. He walked past, and when I glanced, I saw him trail his fingers along Asia’s elbow. I tightened my grip on the wheelchair.
“Why don’t y’all come join us? It’s a special day,” he said.
I followed him down a long hall, the roll of the wheelchair muffled by the carpet runner, and into the dining room.
The table was huge, probably a thirty-seater.
Seemed excessive for a town mayor in the middle of fucking nowhere, but interior design wasn’t one of my specialties.
I cataloged the faces, evenly split: fifteen men, fifteen women.
On the other side, a seat for Christopher at the head of the table.
An empty one across the length.
“Sorry, Jack and Levi. Didn’t know if Asia was going to have company, so I only set a place for one, but you two can sit there.”
I wheeled Uncle Levi to a small card table set off to the side.
Locked the wheelchair in place and caught his eye.
He looked frail, a slight quiver in his head.
I sat in the chair next to him without comment.
Christopher thought he was doing something.
And yeah, Asia that far away… I didn’t like it. Not one bit. But I let this play out.
He touched her elbow again, and I clenched my fists but managed to stay seated.
Watched as he led her to the chair and sat her down.
He then walked back to the other end of the table, and two of the women stood.
They came back with chickens that were clearly cooked over an open fire, a platter stacked high with ears of corn that were steamed.
Bread. They even had three pitchers of what looked to be lemonade.
The women moved without speaking, serving the men first, then the other women, then Asia, then Christopher.
“Oh, don’t forget about our other guests,” Christopher said.
Still wordless, the women brought plates over to Uncle Levi and me.
“I’d say grace, but we all know what we have to be thankful for and who we owe it to,” Christopher said. With that, he started to eat. Took two bites before anyone else picked up their fork.
The meal proceeded in silence. Well, except for Christopher, who wouldn’t shut the fuck up.
“Isn’t that bread delicious?” Christopher asked.
Asia, who didn’t take a bite, simply nodded.
“Yeah, we have you to thank for that. Your farm provided the flour for the bread. Got the chickens from Pike’s place. Corn we grew right here in town. Isn’t it amazing? Everyone is working together.”
“It is,” one of the men said.
Christopher narrowed his eyes, then focused on the man. “Is it, Gary? Why don’t you tell me more?”
Gary shoveled a piece of chicken into his mouth, and took a sip of the iceless lemonade.
“Yeah, it’s good, but if we’re really gonna beat this thing, gotta bring back the economy, you know?
Commerce is what really made the world lift off, and if we want to start it back up again, seems like we should.
It’s nice and all and we can help each other, but… that’s not livin’. Living for real.”
Gary still chewed and didn’t seem to realize that the sound of his teeth gnawing through the chicken was the only sound in the ballroom. He glanced to his left, his right, noticing the silence, and realized that every eye in the room was on him. But it wasn’t every eye he was concerned about.
Christopher’s eye. That was the one.
Christopher picked his napkin up off of his lap, dabbed his lips, put the napkin back, nodded towards the door, and in the next instant, two men appeared. They wore long-sleeve brown shirts like before. Feet booted. Machine guns slung over their shoulders.
“Wait—” Gary started.
“Gary, we have guests,” Christopher said.
Gary’s eyes bulged as he looked from Asia to me, then back to Christopher, who again dabbed his mouth with his napkin.
One man stood on either side of Gary and pulled him to his feet.
He stiffened, trying to flinch, but the men didn’t give him any quarter.
They walked with him, though his feet were probably an inch off the ground, so it was more like a drag, out of the dining room and through a door.
The room was silent then. Completely.
Christopher waited, looking at one person, another, another, another, as the seconds ticked by. Then came a scream. Another. A third, fainter this time. Then nothing.
“So as I was saying, community. Working together. That’s what it’s all about.”
Asia
“You’re not hungry, Asia,” Christopher said.
“Oh, even in these times it’s good to cut back.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s right. Some of us can afford to lose more than others,” Christopher said.
I smiled. “Yeah, it’s true. Yay zombies, I guess.”
The room was dead silent, but I resisted the urge to look at Jack and Uncle Levi.
“Levi,” Christopher said, looking away from me abruptly, “you look cold.”
“I’m fine,” Uncle Levi said. His voice was strong. His breaths were even, but his forehead beaded with sweat.