S Ison - Russian Doomsday

He felt like a child but didn’t care. He’d loved her for so long. He knew he shouldn’t put his heart out there like that, knew the risk of being crushed by the friend zone, but there was no help for it. If he had to spend the rest of his life as her friend, he would. He’d always been proud to call her his friend, and he always would be. He knew he didn’t stand a chance with her, really, but to be in her magnificent presence would be good enough. He hoped.

It was late, nearly 9 pm. He’d called thirty minutes before to get the final directions, as her apartment didn’t show up on the GPS. He hadn’t wanted to waste precious time looking around for it. He’d also wanted her to know he was near, so as to not just show up and alarm her. That would be a bad start.

Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the truck. he was walking up to the apartment when the door opened, and the angel’s wept as she stepped out, the light shining behind her like a halo. Pike nearly stumbled. She was more beautiful in real life than he could have imagined. Her profile picture on Facebook did nothing to capture her beauty. Her skin was a lustrous pale brown, her hair wild and brown with blond strands woven in. He couldn’t see her eyes, but he knew they were a beautiful hazel color. He shook his head, grinning so wide it nearly hurt his face. He almost didn’t catch her when she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.

He felt the sting of tears, blinked rapidly, and hugged her to himself. Her scent was intoxicating and he inhaled deeply, holding her tightly. She was quite a bit shorter than he remembered, or perhaps he’d grown. She was nearly a head shorter than him, and he easily lifted her and twirled her around. She was laughing and, surprisingly, crying, just like he was.

He set her down and leaned back, grinning. “You haven’t changed a bit! Well, maybe just got more beautiful,” he said foolishly, his hands still gripping her shoulders. He couldn’t seem to let go of her.

“You’ve changed a lot. You’ve grown taller, and filled out quite a bit. I like the beard too.” She grinned up at him and he noticed her eyes were nearly green. He felt her rake her nails through his beard and a pleasant shiver ran through his body. “I’ll help you unload your stuff from the truck,” she offered.

“You can leave the big stuff. I’ll just bring in my clothes and valuables and such tonight.” He reached into the back seat and pulled out a large suitcase. Margo grabbed a couple smaller bags, and Pike followed her into her apartment. Almost hypnotized, he looked at her from behind, his eyes eating her up. This was be the only time he would openly stare at her without it going to the creep zone.

Her dog, Binx he thought she’d called him, back when they were on the phone, was barking, the short brown hair on his back standing up. Margo hushed him and he went to his bed, his dark eyes watching Pike’s every move. Pike lifted an eyebrow, impressed. She’d trained him well. She led Pike through to a second bedroom and put his things down. He put the large suitcase down in a corner.

It was all feminine decor, but he didn’t mind. Her things were way nicer, and her apartment was bigger and nicer than his had been back in NC. The apartment even smelled girly, some kind of spice candle thingy. He smiled softly to himself. It was her, all right.

“Come on in the living room,” she said, interrupting his perusal. He turned to follow her. “I have some pizza. I wasn’t sure if you’d have eaten or not.” She smiled, her hand indicating the couch. It had a pink zebra blanket thrown over it.

“Thanks, I’m starved.” He took a deep breath and took a few moments to take the room in. Very feminine, but also elegant. Not cluttered and disorganized. “It’s so good to see you, like the years have melted away. And I’m really glad to finally be here. My body doesn’t like sitting for eight to twelve hours a day.” He stretched. “The countryside was beautiful, though. I liked seeing that.” He laughed and took a slice of pizza. Taking a bite, he rolled his eyes back and closed them in appreciation.

“Thanks for letting me stay with you till I get on my feet. I know I only just arrived, but I want to discuss an idea I have. No pressure, but I want you to think about it seriously,” he said, taking another bite of his pizza.

“Sure, Pike, tell me what’s on your mind.” She said, sipping some green tea from an earthenware cup. She was sitting on the other end of the couch, feet tucked beneath her. She pulled the pink zebra blanket over and draped it over her lap. She was the picture of sweetness, and he had a hard time not grinning at her like a loon.

He took a deep breath and blew it out. He’d thought over his plan while driving, gone over and over it in his head. It was important that it was a good decision. Their lives would depend on it. He hoped she’d think it was a good one.

“Before I left Georgia, I was looking around at properties up here. I figure I might as well look for something that would help us survive. It’ll be a big purchase, so I want to get it right the first time,” he said, and looked at her. He tried not to fidget.

Getting a nod that she was listening, he pressed on. “I think I found something over on Mozingo Lake. One property in particular.” He picked up the glass of water and downed a few gulps. His throat had suddenly gone dry. He didn’t want to cough out his pizza all over her or choke on his words.

She nodded again, smiling her encouragement.

“It’s a cabin, four bed, two baths, on six acres of forested land. It abuts a pretty good-sized forest, and there are very few houses or cabins around about. It sits right by the water and has what looks to be an acre of cleared land around the cabin. But the best thing? It’s off grid. There are solar panels, and even a wind turbine. The listing says it has an underground propane tank.”

He grinned as Margo smiled. It looked like he was winning her over, and he could feel the excitement building. The worry that the POSEIDON article had started was beginning to leave him, and his shoulders began to relax.

“Well? Don’t stop! Tell me more.” She laughed, her cheeks pinking prettily.

“Okay. So, as I said, it is off grid, and even boasts a root cellar, outhouse, small barn, and basement. Look, I don’t know if the crap will ever hit the fan. It may never happen. But I’m terrified that if we don’t do something, we’ll regret it, especially if we had the chance and didn’t do it. Then, if something did happen, we’d be like everyone else. We’d be hurting, and kicking ourselves. I need a place to live, whether I pay rent or mortgage. Why not get somewhere better suited for the SHTF situation?”

“I hear you. I was thinking along the same lines. I checked my pantry earlier, and even though I’ve been putting things away and buying extra, I only have a month or so’s worth of food. And not much water. It hit me like a sledgehammer that I’m woefully lacking, even though I’ve been trying. I just don’t have the room.” She stopped, bit down on her bottom lip with her straight white teeth. “Dare I ask how much?

“It is just over $289,900. Now, I reckon I can negotiate it down a little bit. Once I get a job, I figure we can get a loan together, if you’re willing. Between us, we can afford the mortgage. Once there, we can start getting our ducks in a row in earnest,” he said, smiling, trying not to stare at her beautiful face. He didn’t need to creep her out with a drooling fool vibe.

Margo nodded slowly. “I think that’s very doable. I even have some savings we can use as a down payment,” she offered, a big smile on her face.

“That sounds great. I have money set aside too. I’ve lived somewhat frugally since getting out of high school. I had moved out of my parent’s home. They were leaving Georgia after I graduated. I never wanted to live with my folks when they moved away.” He laughed, blushing a little.