Counting Down (8 page)

Kyle looked over at him, feeling the outrage scream through his chest. He slumped down to lean on the bumper of Abby’s Jeep and tried to hold himself together. The faces of those children haunted him. They had no idea what was coming and no way to survive it. He rested his head in his hands, feeling his strength slip away.

“
Damn
it,” Kyle finally said, his frustration getting the best of him.

Jim joined Kyle against the Jeep, stared off into the odd sky. “I know you feel like this is all on you man, but it’s not. You might be a human night light, but I’m your right hand and I will help in any way you need me to. You’re not alone in this.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” He stood straight and ran one hand through his hair. Kyle was on the verge of saying something inspirational to his friend, but figured it would only sound forced.

He was saved from that awkwardness as Abby came out the front door. Thankfully she hadn’t heard the people walking and they were far enough down the road now to be over a hill and out of sight.

“Hey guys. What’s on the agenda for today?” Abby greeted them with a smile that didn’t register in her eyes as she plodded down the front steps.

Seeing Abby immediately improved Kyle’s mood. Her glow was faded in the sun, but it didn’t stop her from making everything seem brighter. She wore an old pair of paint splattered blue jeans, brown boots with even more paint on them, and a clean, light blue tee shirt with some sort of artsy screen print on it.

Her hair was shining and freshly blow dried, fluttering around her face to brush against her cheeks. He momentarily wished he could run his hands through that hair.

Her appearance didn’t really matter to him, which only added to his freaked out state of mind. Yes, he thought she looked adorable in her old paint stained clothes, but she could’ve been wearing an old lady muumuu for all he cared. It was the smile in her eyes that sent a sense of warmth over him and made him momentarily forget about the danger that loomed over his head.

Kyle found his voice and started giving out a few orders. “Okay. Let’s get all the stuff Abby brought into the bunker and organized. Then we have to spend some time checking out the place to make sure it’s going to hold up. I’m sure none of us want to be stuck under a few feet of earth without clean air.” Kyle stopped to look around for a second. “Where’s that Alex guy?”

“Right here.” Alex busted through the front door. “Sorry, I was just watching the news. I’m ready to get to work.”

Kyle looked him over. His hair was coated in some kind of gel, his clothes were freshly pressed and far too fancy to work in, and the cologne he wore was so strong it masked the smell of horse manure coming from the barn.

Kyle’s face was expressionless. “Right. Good. There’s a lot to be done.”

* * *

The four of them worked throughout
the morning, not taking a break until lunch time mercifully rolled around. By the time the sun was high in the sky they had given every inch of the bunker a once over, checking all the systems and making sure there would be tools available for repairs in case anything broke down.

They moved the last of the large stores of water that Kyle had been keeping in the barn, of which there must’ve been hundreds of gallons that all needed to find a home inside the modest shelter. He had even included packages of drink mix to add flavor when they got bored with plain water. Either he had a lot of money or a lot of time to prepare. Abby decided maybe it was a bit of both.

They packed canned goods, dry foods, boxes of MRE’s that Kyle had purchased at a local army surplus, toiletries, medical supplies, and other necessities into the storage spaces inside their soon to be underground home.

“I need to get some food in me.” Abby stopped stacking cans as her stomach groaned. “I’m so hungry I’m about to start eating our emergency rations. Spaghetti and meatballs with a shelf life of fifty years is starting to look like a banquet.”

Kyle smiled in her direction and the small gesture made her heart beat a notch faster. “I think we could all use a little break.”

Food in hand, the group went out onto the porch to eat their various types of sandwiches. There was no real discussion, only the distinct sound of crunching and chewing. Jim passed around a bag of potato chips, everyone taking a handful to accompany their modest meals.

As Abby took a bite of her peanut butter and jelly she noticed that she was being watched. Through dark sunglasses her eyes landed on Kyle only to see him quickly avert his gaze.

He didn’t glow as much in the daylight, she noticed, letting her stare trail up his forearm and over his sleeve. Or perhaps it just wasn’t as obvious. Instead his body gave off a faint shimmer of light that simply looked like the sun was hitting his skin even as he sat in the shade of the porch.

She took another bite, continuing to gawk at him. Her eyes wandered to his neck, to the tendons that ran under the skin below his Adam’s apple. He
was the opposite of bulky, his frame long and lean. She decided t
his guy didn’t carry
a gym membership in his wallet
but working on the farm probably more than filled his quota of exercise.

He turned to look at her then. Their eyes met in a quick instant making Abby jump slightly. For a long moment they held the stare, neither of them feeling the need to look away. Abby stopped chewing and Kyle simply looked into her like he was
now
the painter and her portrait was his next project.

Abruptly Alex coughed a little too loudly, breaking the peace of their lunch and the spell between Abby and Kyle. Abby knew that her ex-boyfriend was irritated by what he’d seen moving between her and someone he saw as his competition. Obviously, he wasn’t really trying to hide it. It was his not so discrete way of letting her know that he was still planning on making another go at their relationship. Abby knew there was no hope of that now.

There was a connection between her and Kyle that Abby couldn’t deny. She didn’t know yet if it went beyond sharing dreams and iridescent skin, but she knew that she wanted to find out. She wanted to get to know Kyle inside and out; find out what his passions were, learn about what and who he loved. She wanted to know him with a certain desperation that she wasn’t used to feeling. She wondered if this was what being off her meds was like. Was this what everyone else felt like all the time?

After lunch the four of them worked into the night. It was well past prime time before they stopped for a late supper.

During this meal they all spoke to each other, but none of them wanted to ponder any more ways to survive disaster. Instead they talked about mundane things; little things that normal people talked about at normal meals.

There was discussion of Abby’s work, where she had recently been showing and who her latest clients were. The everyday workings of Alex’s gallery came up as well. None of them mentioned that all of that was now lost and buried beneath miles of ocean. For the moment they preferred to pretend all was right in the world.

Kyle and Jim told stories about the farm, about birthing foals and dealing with a recently deceased blind rooster who never stopped crowing. They all laughed when Kyle insinuated Jim had sent one of his dogs after it late one summer night, saying Jim had draped the poor bird in a raw meat necklace to entice the lazy hounds.

Abby let out an uncharacteristic giggle. “Oh, that’s so awful. Please tell me that didn’t really happen.”

Kyle set his napkin on the table with a shake of his head and a smile. “No, of course not. Honestly, we loved that bird. Jim especially. I assure you poor blind Gary was a very old chicken who died naturally and peacefully.”

For all intents and purposes they were four people getting to know each other or catching up as was the case of Abby and her uncle. The only real negative tension in the room came from Alex. Occasionally he would shoot a look to Abby when she talked or laughed with Kyle or glower at Kyle over a fork full of food. Abby did her best to ignore her former lover and enjoyed the lightness of the evening.

When the meal was over no one moved to clear the table or do the dishes. Leftovers went to the dogs and Jim pulled beers for each of them from the fridge. Beers led to tequila shots and before any of them realized it they were all a little tipsy and enjoying what seemed to be an endless amount of friendly conversation
.

The men talked about
cars and other stereotypically male things
while Abby listened and interjected where she could. She tried to be polite but honestly had no knowledge
of
engine blocks
or trade deadlines.

There was a silent agreement between the group to not turn on the television or even think about what the future may hold. They had created a temporary world where they could merely take pleasure in what it was to simply be human and remember what they were working so hard to preserve in the first place.

With midnight rolling by, Jim stood up to stretch his legs and announced that he was going to bed.

Alex was very drunk and was nearly falling asleep at the table, with his head rested firmly in his hand. “That sounds like a great idea.” He slurred a bit on his words before turning to Abby. “You ready Babe?”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Everyone seemed to be waiting on Abby for a response. Alex had forgotten himself and the status of their relationship within a puddle of beer and tequila.

“Actually, I was thinking since you’ve been stuck on a couch for a week that maybe I should stay in Kyle’s spare room so you could have the extra bed here. As long as that’s okay with you Kyle?”

Kyle sat up straighter and fidgeted with his beer bottle. “Yeah. I guess that makes good sense.”

The look on Alex’s face was at once blank and furious. “Oh. I see. I’m sure the two of you have a lot to talk about.” He put up his hands to make air quotes. “Freakish radioactive skin conditions, prophetic nightmares. You’ve got a lot in common. I get it.”

While Alex’s words said that he understood, his tone was harsh and full of hurt. Abby wasn’t sure how to handle the situation without escalating it even further. She had already made it clear that she and Alex were no longer a couple and she really did have a lot of things to discuss with Kyle. It wasn’t a personal attack on Alex, but that was exactly how he was taking it.

“Okay… um I’ll get my bags then. Be right back.” Abby stood up to walk down the hallway with Alex suddenly on her heels.

He fairly crashed through the bedroom door behind her and closed it with a thud.

“What do you want Alex?” Her voice was laced with annoyance.

He positioned himself between her and the door, planting his feet on the carpeted floor. “I see the way you two look at each other. I’m not stupid Abby. You might as well just wear a tee shirt that says you want to screw that guy’s brains out.”

Abby turned on him with a huff. “You’re drunk Alex. Why don’t you just lie down and sleep it off?”

“Don’t blow me off damn it! I thought we could make this work. I thought we were moving forward, finally having some fun together. What about us?”

“There is no us Alex.
”
She softened her voice, feeling empathy for this man who was now her friend. “It’s over now.”

Alex opened his mouth to
speak
but Abby held up her hand and kept talking. “Look, I wouldn’t have been able to make this trip without you. You are my friend and I’m grateful that we can have at leas
t that. But that’s were us ends
.”

Alex looked like he was going to scream. His face was red, his hands were shaky, and he was obviously not happy. He continued to stand between Abby and the door even when she had slung her bags over her shoulder and made a move to leave.

“Please get out of my way Alex.” It wasn’t so much as a request as it was a flat out command.

After a long moment he stepped aside with a dramatic sigh only to pound his fist into the top of the dresser beside the bed. Abby jumped at the sound but kept walking without turning around.

Jim peered down the hall as she left the bedroom. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. Alex is just a little upset right now. I’m sure he’ll be feeling better in the morning.”