“How many people have you killed?”
“Now, that’s a helluva question to ask. How many have you killed?”
“Seven.”
“Shit. Not bad.” He smiled a wide smile and, with hands raised, began counting his fingers. “Eight,” he said. “I win.”
“Seriously?” I was beginning to think he might be completely insane.
“No. Not seriously. Jeeze!” He lowered his hands and crossed his arms, carefully not getting close to the gun. “Yeah, I’ve had to defend myself a few times. But, I’ve only had to kill two other people. Even though I tried to avoid it. Some assholes just won’t take no for an answer.”
“You’re playing a very dangerous game,” I said, wondering whether I should just drop this guy right here and now.
“It’s no game. I have not really lied to you. I may have stretched the truth a bit, but I’ve had little else in the realm of entertainment until you showed up.”
“At my own home.”
“Well, yeah. There is that.”
“This doesn’t improve my trust issues with you. You know that, right?”
“Rock. Listen. Who else you got? Bandits? Not much for parlay, those.”
“Even your speech has changed. Why the hell should I trust you now?”
“Fine. Ask me anything. I’ll tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Anything. Go ahead.”
I stared at him for a long moment, weighing whether or not I should just kill him, if only for safety’s sake. I was about to dive into a very dangerous situation in White Sands. If I were wise, I thought, I wouldn’t include a wild card like Kel in the mix. Still, there was something that drew me to him. It irked me to no end. I was walking a fine line, here. On the one hand, he could be exactly who he said he was. On the other hand, he could be some psycho playing a potentially fatal game.
“Siblings?” I asked.
“Nope. Only child.” He cocked his head and added, “You couldn’t tell?” I ignored him.
“So,” I said, needing to know the next answer more than anything else, “what was your plan? Just tag along with me until you got bored? Or, got me killed?”
“The former outcome would be much worse than the latter.”
“You are insane,” I said.
“No,” he replied, glancing down at his feet. His voice took on a sober, hesitant tone as he said, “Just lonely.”
It was the honesty in his voice that tipped the balance. I eased my pistols back in their holsters, observing him for several long moments, attempting to discern his motivations. In this dead world, loneliness was indeed a killer of souls. I admitted to myself that I had felt the same on more than a few occasions, since Uncle D got killed.
My thoughts were in turmoil. On the one hand I wanted to just get rid of him and the uncertainty he represented, and on the other hand, I had the very human need to have someone to talk to. Getting into White Sands was going to be hairy, at best. But, could I trust Kel? I decided to just ask.
“This place we’re going,” I said, “If any people are still there, I don’t think they’ll be all that glad to have visitors. I need to know the truth about the source of the virus. I have to go. You don’t.”
“I’ve got nothing better to do,” he replied. His face was calm, but I could see twinges in his muscles that belied his tone. He was looking forward to this, I thought. I realized that even though his father probably paid little attention to him, he was still Kel’s parent. A boy like Kel would strive to gain his father’s attention, his love. I suspected that finding the guys responsible for his father’s death would mean as much to Kel as it did to me. Maybe.
“That’s my concern,” I said. “I can’t afford to go in there with someone who might have second thoughts. If you’ve got something better to do or, worse, you discover something better to do once we’re in —”
“I promise you this, Rock,” he said, standing up a little straighter, his chin a little higher, “If I go in there, I’ll be there for one reason and one reason only: to back you up. This is your deal. I understand that. But, understand this, I don’t make promises I don’t keep. I swear to you, I won’t leave you hanging. That’s not my style.”
I felt something stir deep in my gut, but pushed it aside. It looked like I just might have a partner in this, after all. I turned and walked toward the car. “Don’t fuck it up,” I said over my shoulder. He caught up to me in a second.
“Not gonna happen.”
CHAPTER 5
I wheeled the Ford back onto Highway 70 just as I caught sight of the military Humvee barreling right for us. I hit the gas and saw Kel fall back into his seat, hand gripping the side door.
“We’ve got company,” I said, before he could ask. The Humvee was faster than I expected and caught up to us within a minute. I made a quick decision and jerked up on the handbrake, locking the back wheels as I spun the wheel. Blue smoke flowed from the rear of the Ford as I released the brake and hit the gas again. The car bounced across the median, turning back the way we came. The driver of the Humvee wasn’t able to turn as quickly, but the high clearance vehicle slewed around and he was soon right behind us again.
“There’s only two of them,” I said.
“You sure?” Kel asked, turning to scope out the pursuing vehicle. “I would ask what the hell they want, but who the fuck cares. Drive, girl. Drive!”
“I have a better idea,” I said, eyes glued to the road ahead.
“Say what?”
“We need to get into the White Sands base, right? We could either sneak in, break in or let them take us in.”
“Are you nuts? Let them capture us? That’s your plan? Mind if I throw up an opposing viewpoint?”
“It’s the fastest way in. But we’re going to have to make it look good.”
“Wait,” he said, “How do we even know these guys are from the lab you’re looking for?”
“Seriously? Where the hell else is there around here that would actually have military personnel still alive? I’ve lived around here my entire life and haven’t seen a military vehicle since the pandemic. My best guess is that they’ve been holed up until now.”
“That is a whole hell of a lot of speculation, Rock.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I know.” I just had a feeling and I’d learned a long time ago to trust my gut. I ran the plan by Kel in just a few sentences. He was silent; his eyes wide, but nodded in acceptance. It would be a dangerous game to play. I prepared myself. What choice did we have? No time like the present. “Hang on,” I said, reaching for the handbrake again.
The Ford’s rear tires screamed for mercy when the axle locked up. I whipped the steering wheel to the left and then steered into the slide. The car rocked to a halt and I stepped out, guns drawn, at very nearly the same moment. Kel rolled out and hit the ground on the opposite side of the Ford.
I expected the windows in the Humvee to be bulletproof, but I was mistaken. It only took three shots to take out the passenger. The driver turned the truck around, the side of the vehicle blocking my view of him, giving me no open target. I heard his side door open, and even though I I knew it was coming the burst of automatic gunfire shook me, as I dove for the pavement. Bullets ripped into the Ford behind me and I hoped Kel had kept his position. I was spread-eagle on the road as the soldier shouted at me.
“Stay where you are! Do not fucking move!” I didn’t. I had let my pistols fall a few feet from my hands and made no attempt to retrieve them. It seemed to take forever for the soldier to make it around the Humvee to me. I heard him kick Wilma and Betty away and felt a twinge of loss. Nevertheless, it was my plan. I had no one to blame but myself.