Trent Reedy - Divided We Fall

Finally, I heard the jingle of the chain being unlocked on the other side of the door, the dull click of the deadbolt being released. After almost a month, I’d finally get to see my mother. The door opened.

And there stood a hot blond woman in little white shorts and a blue button-up shirt, who couldn’t have been more than four or five years older than us.

“Oh wow,” Sweeney whispered very quietly right behind me.

“Can I help you?” the woman said.

“I’m looking for my mother,” I said instead of introducing myself. I didn’t want her neighbors hearing my name and getting ideas about calling me in to the police or the Fed.

“Oh my gosh! Hi! I’m Sarah. We talked before. Come in. Kelly’s sleeping, I think, but she’ll be so glad to see you!” She led us into the living room of a small, simple apartment with white walls and a wood floor. Then she spoke more quietly. “I’m glad you came when you did. This morning she was talking about making the trip herself again. Anyway, I’ll go get her.”

Sweeney leaned around me to watch her butt as she walked down the hall. “Dude, check her. I think I’m in love. Saraaaaaah. She’s so hot.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Becca whispered. “Remember Cassie?”

“Well, we’ve gone out a couple times, but—”

“You mean made out a couple times,” said Cal.

“Same thing. But who cares about that? This girl… this woman … Sarah is so beautiful, and I think she kind of likes me. Did you see the way she looked at me? She knows Asians make the best lovers.”

“Eric,” JoBell said.

“Maybe we should spend the night here instead of going straight home. You know, get some rest and—”

“Eric, shut up!” JoBell growled.

“Danny?” A soft voice came from down the hallway.

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “I’m here, Mom. I promised I’d help you. We’re here to take you home.”

Mom ran from the hallway and hugged me. “Oh, Danny, you made it. Are you okay? It can’t be safe for you here. Are they looking for you?”

“Easy.” I gently backed her up a step. “They got no idea where I am, and it’s going to stay that way.”

Sarah followed Mom into the room. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen?” Sweeney said, pressing his hand to Sarah’s back. “If you don’t mind, could I trouble you for a drink? We’ve had the most amazing journey. Let me tell you about it.”

Sarah actually seemed charmed, and JoBell rolled her eyes, but Becca led her and Cal into the kitchen after the other two.

Mom held my face in her hands with her warm palms pressed to my cheeks. She looked older, like instead of being here for about four weeks, it had been more like four years. Tears traced the wrinkles around her eyes. “You really came to get me.”

“I promised I’d take care of you, Mom. I always will.”

“Was it tough getting here?”

I took her hands off my face, but held them in mine. Her question would have been funny if the whole situation weren’t so tragic.

“No problem getting out of Idaho,” I said. “Getting back might be tricky, but you’re going to have to trust me, okay? I mean, it could be a little scary, but I promise we’ll make it.”

“I trust you, Danny. You’re such a good son.” She hugged me again, and I squeezed her back.

“You better go pack your things. We should get out of here as soon as possible.”

“We’ve been thinking, Danny,” JoBell said a few minutes later when everyone had come back from the kitchen. “We should do some shopping, you know, pick up supplies that we can’t really get inside the sanction zone. We all wouldn’t have to go.”

“That’s a great idea!” Sweeney said. “Why don’t you all go get us some real food, and while you’re at it, Cal, since you’re eighteen, why don’t you buy me about three hundred dollars’ worth of cigars and cigarettes? We can sell it to guys like Schmidty for three times as much in Idaho.” He handed a debit card to Cal and wrote the PIN on the back of an old receipt in his wallet.

“Sure you don’t want to come along?” Cal said to Sweeney.

“Ah…” Sweeney looked down and lightly kicked his foot back and forth. “I better stay here with Danny and his mom. You know, in case they need any help.”

Cal laughed a little. JoBell looked from Sweeney to Sarah and shook her head. “Okay. We’ll buy all we can and hurry back. Then we’ll go home.” She held up her hands. “Keys, babe?”

“Be careful with her,” I said as I tossed her the keys to the Beast.

“I should crash that truck.” She smiled. “I swear you love it more than me.”

“That’s impossible,” I said.

After they were gone, we settled into that useless polite talk that just fills silence. Sweeney asked Sarah all about her work. He’d never been so fascinated with nursing before, and I knew he never would be again. Finally, he said, “I noticed you have a lightbulb out in the kitchen. Can I change it for you?”

“Sure,” she giggled. “If you want. You don’t have to.”

Once again, Sweeney gently placed his hand on her back and led her through the door to the kitchen. He winked at me before the door swung closed.

“I better get my things ready,” Mom said.

“Good idea. Hey, I spotted a gas station down the block. I’m going to go buy a Mountain Dew. There’s basically none left in Idaho, and I’ve missed it.”

Mom squeezed my hand. “Be careful, Danny. Hurry back.”

Out on the street, I shielded my eyes from the late-afternoon sun. It was still weird to see so many cars on the road. Because of the rationing and the cost of gas, traffic in Idaho had dropped to a minimum. Plus, I’d been living in the woods with the Guard for so long that I’d kind of forgotten what normal roads were like. It didn’t seem fair that everybody here, twenty minutes from the Idaho border, was able to live their lives like they always had, while innocent people in Idaho had to suffer.

I stepped into the Gas & Sip and almost started drooling. Candy bars and beef jerky and pop… Even milk and bread looked great. Instead of empty or nearly empty shelves, instead of ration signs and increased prices posted everywhere, this Washington convenience store had everything, and signs for discounts. I took my sweet time wandering the aisles.

On the way back to Sarah’s apartment, I dumped some delicious M&M’S in my mouth, chomping them like a hog and barely getting them down before chugging some Mountain Dew. Pure sugar! I’d missed junk food like this. It was so good.

My comm vibrated in my pocket. I had Digi-Hank shut off so I wouldn’t draw attention to myself if someone called me. I pulled my comm out to see a call from Cal. “What’s up?”

“Danny, they got JoBell and Becca.”

I dropped my pop so I could hold the comm closer to my ear. “Who?”

“The Feds, man. Soldiers.”

“Weren’t you with them?”

“They sent me away when I kept picking out Frosted Flakes and Oreos. There’s a cigar place next to the grocery store. I was in there when I heard a scream.” Cal was whispering, but almost panicked in his breathing. “When I went out, these Army dudes had ’em.”

“Where are they now?”

“Right around the side of the store. What should I do? I got a knife. Should I go get them?”

“No!” Damn it, what was I supposed to do? I didn’t even know where they’d gone. “Do you have the keys to the Beast?”

“JoBell does.”

I took off at a sprint toward Sarah’s apartment. “Me and Sweeney are coming. Send me your location. Whatever happens, don’t let them leave, or else stay with them.”