The Last Orphans (17 page)

“Maurice
?” Shane asked the short and stocky bronze-skinned teenager who stepped out from behind the parking lot attendant’s booth sitting in the middle of the entrance to the garage.

“
That I am.” Maurice smiled in a way that made him seem friendly and threatening at the same time. “Have we met before, or does my reputation precede me?” He narrowed his eyes, studying Shane.

“Reputati
on,” Shane admitted, trying to give the impression he believed he could take on the army of teens surrounding him and win. “Ran into some friends of yours downtown.”

“Yes, so I heard.
Y’all did quite the number on those criminals—it’s amazing that y’all are alive,” Maurice answered. Smiling broadly, he laid the barrel of his shotgun over his shoulder and walked closer. “Any enemy of Shamus is a friend of mine.”

Taking Maurice’s outstretched hand and shaking it, Shane studied the gang leader’s brown eyes, trying to decide if he could trust him.

“Why do you guys hate each other?” Shane asked. He knew if he could get Maurice’s army on his side, they’d have a much better chance of getting to the capitol building and shutting down the weapon. But Maurice could be just as bent on keeping things the way they were as Shamus. Having learned from his previous mistake of telling Shamus everything up front, Shane didn’t want to risk divulging his plan until he learned more.

“Shamus is a gangster,” Maurice said, reaching into the cargo
pocket of his pants and pulling out an apple. “When the adults and animals went wack, Shamus and his gang of drug-dealing thugs recruited the smaller gangs and anyone else bent on wreaking havoc and took control of the downtown area almost immediately. Y’all wouldn’t have made it out if it weren’t for your toys.” Maurice nodded at the gun in Shane’s hands.

“So what are you guys trying to do?” Shane asked,
keeping his face stoic and his voice firm. He didn’t want to show any sign of weakness, feeling like the entire city was a giant tank full of hungry sharks.

“We’re just trying to survive,” Maurice answered sincerely, taking a bite of the appl
e. “After the world went to crap and Shamus’ gang attacked and killed a few of us, we figured out that we’d have to band together to defend ourselves. We staked out this area of town as our own, and Shamus’ gang has let us be since we started fighting back. Now, what about you? Why are you so bent on heading downtown?”

Looking from Kelly to
Tracy and then to Steve and Aaron, Shane tried to decide if he should come out with the truth. Kelly shrugged as if to say,
What do we have to lose
, and Tracy gave a little nod. The guys were too busy scanning the crowd of armed teenagers surrounding them to notice.

“The adults and animals went berserk because of a
top-secret military weapon,” he said, turning his attention on Maurice.

Narrowing his
brown eyes, Maurice said, “Go on.”

“We are trying to shut it down.” Shane didn’t want to say too much at once, figuring he could change the story if he didn’t like Maurice’s reaction.

“That would’ve been nice a couple of days ago,” Maurice replied. “But it seems like the damage has already been done. What is the point of shutting it down now?”

“Well, things are gonna get worse. A lot worse,” Shane said
sternly. “We tried to explain this to Shamus, but he either didn’t believe us or didn’t care.”

“Probably both,” Maurice said, glowering down the street toward Shamus’ territory. He looked back at Shane. “How do you know all this?”

“We picked up a message on a military radio. It was recorded by a scientist who helped make the weapon,” Shane replied. He wasn’t convinced Maurice had good intentions, but he liked the short, stocky guy a heck of a lot better than Shamus already. “The message said where the weapon is and how to shut it down.”

“And it’s obviously downtown.
” Maurice tossed his apple core into the bushes, wiped his hand on his pant leg, and then shifted his shotgun over to his other shoulder.

“Yep, under the Georgia Dome
,” Shane replied, not taking his eyes off Maurice’s for even a second. “And the access to the weapon is through a tunnel that’s in the capitol building.”

Maurice scratched
the chub hanging beneath his chin with his thick fingers. The stocky leader of the army of teens encircling them reminded Shane of a shorter, darker version of Steve. He studied Shane and his friends for a long moment.

“I’m
afraid to ask,” he said. “But what’s gonna happen if we don’t shut this weapon down?”

Upon hearing Maurice us
e the word
we,
Shane wanted to jump up and down and hug the jovial-looking kid. Knowing even if they did decide to help, these guys could back out at any moment, he contained his excitement the best he could. “The weapon will cause the animals to turn on us and us to turn on each other like the adults did.”

“Great,” Maurice said, rubbing his free
hand across the bushy growth of hair atop his head. “And when is this going to happen?”

“Any moment. It mi
ght’ve already started.” Shane glanced at Kelly, remembering how the dog tried to attack her. “So will you help us? We’d have a much better chance of getting downtown with you people on our side.”

“Ye
ah, I’ll help you,” Maurice replied without hesitation. He looked around at the gun-toting kids comprising his gang. “But I’m not really the big boss here. We’re just sticking together for protection. I’ll try to get as many of these folks to help us as possible, but I can’t make any promises.”

“Thanks,” Shane said, smiling gratefully.

Maurice nodded. He stepped a few feet away from Shane and his group, putting his hands up around his mouth to amplify his voice.

“Gather around people,” he yelled
, his booming voice so loud it sounded like he was speaking through a megaphone. “I got some important news to share with y’all.”

The teenagers came down out of the parking garage
, and even more exited from the buildings across the street, closing in around Maurice. They wore the expression of shellshock that Shane had seen on most kids’ faces, like they’d all watched their parents die. Thinking back, he didn’t recall seeing the sad expressions on the faces of many of the kids in Shamus’ gang. They must’ve all come from families even more messed up than his own. The thought made him feel sorry for them and miss his dad at the same time.

Ma
urice spoke with an assertive tone, relaying all that Shane had told him. An impressive orator, Shane wondered if he might’ve become a politician or a preacher if the world Shane, and he reckoned everyone else, had taken for granted hadn’t come to a swift and violent end.

Once Maurice
told the kids about the secret weapon and explained that they’d have to fight their way through Shamus’ gang to get downtown where they could shut it down, he paused for a long moment and pivoted around, seeming to look into the eyes of everyone there. No one said a thing, all just looking back at him with expressions that seemed even bleaker than before. They looked like Shane felt when he found out the government was responsible for killing his father and his aunt. Shane felt a surge of anger and sadness well up in him, and he gritted his teeth to keep it from showing on his face.

“
Y’all know what Shamus and his gang are capable of, and they don’t want the weapon shut down,” Maurice said, breaking the gloomy silence. “We need people brave enough to fight and not afraid to die.” He looked around. “If you’re willing to go with us, stay where you are. If you’re not, you best head back up the street and put some distance between yourselves and the fighting that’s about to go down.” Maurice pointed away from Shamus’ territory.

Shane
held his breath, looking at the somber faces. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity, and Shane became excited at the thought that all these kids were going to help. But then, a tall and skinny kid with dark hair and pale skin turned and walked up the street. One by one, other kids looked down at their feet, as if too ashamed to look at Maurice, and turned away, following the lanky, pale boy. Shane’s hope faded as he watched the would-be army dwindle.

Ten horrible minute
s passed before the last of the kids unwilling to fight headed up the block. Shane surveyed those who remained, guessing there were at least fifty of them. Looking at their sad expressions, he wondered how many decided to fight because of bravery and how many because they didn’t care if they lived or died.

“Alright, let’s head back to the hotel and grab all the weapons we can carry,” Maurice said, and then marched across the street and into the alley.

The group parted to let him pass, and then followed him, forming a long line.

“
We’ll be able to make it to the capitol with these kids helping us for sure,” Kelly said. “Won’t we?” Her wide eyes looked relieved, but something else seemed to stir in them—a sort of wildness Shane had never seen before. He feared the weapon was starting to affect her brain.

“Yeah,” he replied, trying to sound as optimistic as he could
. “We’ll make it downtown without a problem.” He put his arm through hers and tugged her along behind Tracy, who followed the last of their new friends into the shadowy alley. 

They walked four blocks and entered
a hotel with stacks of food and weapons lining the walls of the dark lobby.

“What happened to the lights, Jules?” Maurice asked a wiry girl with a mullet haircut.

“Don’t know,” the girl replied, chewing on a piece of gum and eyeing Shane and his flak-jacket-and-army-helmet wearing group with suspicion. “Lost power a few hours ago. Seems to be out everywhere.”

“Oh wow
,” Maurice replied, scratching his head. “That sucks.”

“Actually,”
Tracy interrupted, “it could be to our advantage.”

“How’s that?
” Shane asked, glad Tracy was forming a strategy.

“If we head downtown after dark,
it’ll be harder for Shamus’ gang to see us without the streetlights working,” she replied, taking her green combat helmet off and holding it under her arm like a football.

“Shouldn’
t we leave now?” Shane said, afraid Kelly wouldn’t make it to nightfall.

“No, she’s right,” Maurice answered.
“We’ll do a lot better under the cover of darkness.” He glanced at Jules, who wore a look of confusion on her face.

“What’s this about us going downtown and confronting Shamus?” Jules asked, sounding more curious than worried.

“I’ll explain everything later,” Maurice replied. “Take these guys to some rooms so they can get cleaned up and get some rest.” Turning back to Shane, he said, “It’ll be dark in three hours, then we’ll leave. If you guys get a couple of hours of sleep, you’ll do a hell of a lot better in the fight.”

As much as he feared for Kelly’s safety, Shane knew Maurice and
Tracy’s logic made sense. He looked at Kelly and then the rest of his group. They all had heavy bags under their eyes, like they hadn’t slept in years.

“Alright,” Shane said to Jules, “lead the way.”

They followed the tall, wiry girl, who wore boys’ blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black leather vest, through the hotel lobby and down the hall.

“
This suite hasn’t been used yet.” Jules opened the door with a key card. “A continental breakfast will be served in the morning,” she added with a comical voice. “Please enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks,”
Tracy replied, sounding a little nicer than usual.

Jules smiled at
Tracy and bowed, extending her hand into the suite.

“This place is as big as a house,” Aaron said
, walking into the main living area.

T
he rooms had large windows overlooking a garden area, allowing in plenty of light.

“There are two bathrooms—
one for girls and one for boys,” Kelly said, and then looked at Tracy. “Mind if I go first?”

Tracy
plopped down on the couch in the living room and sighed. “Be my guest.”

“You first in the boys’ room
, boss,” Steve said, sighing. He clapped his hand on Shane’s back.

“Thanks,” Shane replied, uncertain as to how he felt to be officially labeled as the leader by Steve.

Too exhausted
to give it much thought, he went into the bathroom and showered. He came out with a towel wrapped around him and slipped his pants on. There was a soft knock at the door.

“It’s not locked
—come on in.” Shane sat down and then lay back on the bed, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Kelly opened the door, came into the
bedroom, and shut it behind her. She had on a clean T-shirt and blue jeans, and her long, blonde hair hung straight and wet down past her shoulders. Shane had seen her dolled up at school and in a disheveled mess over the last few days, but he’d never seen her fresh out of the shower. He felt warmth stirring in his chest, and his face got hot.

“M
ind if I sleep in here with you?” she asked with a timid voice.

“Uh
…” Shane stuttered. “Sure—I don’t mind.”

“I don’t mean to make you feel weird,” she said,
glancing down at her bare feet. “It’s just that Aaron fell asleep in the other bedroom, and Tracy and Steve took the couches.”

Shane patted the bed
, trying to act casual, though he felt a little giddy from the idea of her lying near him. “One word of warning,” he said, trying to ease the awkwardness, “I’ve been told I snore like a freight train.”

Kelly chuckled and climbed into bed. She pulled the blanket and sheets out from under him
, covering them both. Shane lay still and closed his eyes. Trying to be respectful, he made sure to keep to his side of the bed, though every fiber of his being wanted to roll over and put his arms around her.

“Are you scared, Shane?” Kelly whispered
, her sweet breath warm on his cheek.

“Yeah, I suppose I am,” Shane replied
. “I mean, who wouldn’t be?”

“You seem so confident
… so sure that we’ll make it downtown and shut the weapon off,” Kelly said, her voice shaky. “You don’t seem scared at all.”

“I guess I’m just trying to hold it together
the best I can.” Shane felt his face getting hot from Kelly’s compliment.

“I’m s
o scared,” Kelly said, inching closer to him. “I know it sounds strange, but I feel like my mind is being taken over, like I’m losing myself.”

Shane feared it was
because of the weapon. Kelly slid next to him, pressing into his body. She pulled his arm around her and laid her head on his shoulder. Her hair smelled flowery and clean from the hotel shampoo. Shane wrapped his other arm over her and pressed his lips to her forehead.

“You’re just exhausted
,” Shane said, trying to use a calm voice, though his heart raced and he was short of breath from her nearness. “Get some rest, and you’ll feel better.”

“You’re probably right,” Kelly replied
, her eyes closing. “Can you promise me something?”

“Sure—
anything.”

“If I don’t make it, promise me you’ll go back and make sure Natalie is okay.
” Kelly’s voice faded, sounding like she was half asleep.

“I pr
omise,” Shane replied, combing the hair out of her face. “But you’re going to make it, so that won’t be necessary.”

The sound of her
heavy breathing told Shane she’d drifted off. He looked up at the ceiling, still holding her tight in his arms. A few days ago, he’d have given anything to lie next to her and hold her like this, never imagining it would ever happen. It was like one of his wildest fantasies had come true, but unfortunately, in the middle of his worst nightmare. He wondered what it would be like to be this close to her under happier circumstances, hoping they survived so he might find out.