“You mean when he let it roll down the hill?”
“The zombies didn’t give two shits.”
“They could’ve seen that there wasn’t anyone in the vehicle, Erik.”
“But that doesn’t explain why the ones who weren’t looking at it didn’t give pursuit.”
Content with the answer, Jamie settled down in his seat and pulled out his pack of smokes. He flicked a butt out of the carton, swiped his lighter out of his pocket, then lit it, sighing as the nicotine burned its way into his lungs. As he always did when Jamie pulled out a smoke, Erik gave him a longing look, to which Jamie replied by taking another drag and offering the man his cigarette. “What happened to your pack?”
“I don’t keep them on me.”
“Then why are you bumming smokes off me all the time?” Jamie laughed. “Start carrying your own you dumbass.”
“I don’t want Kirn or Wills to take them.”
“They’re just your typical high school bullies, Erik.”
“But they’re high school bullies that the sergeant likes.” Erik expelled a lungful of smoke. Jamie sighed when he inhaled the traces of smoke. “Remember what we talked about last night? How we’re supposed to keep our mouths shut and not say anything that might get us in trouble?”
“I remember.”
“Do you feel any better at all this morning?”
“A little.”
“Look,” Erik passed the cigarette back, “I apologize for arguing with you last night. The sergeant’s been riding my ass when it comes to manning the radio.”
“At least you don’t have to worry about doing the dirty work.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like I enjoy having my ass planted in a chair for ten hours a day. I signed up for the army to get away from that, not the other way around.”
“Your dad really would have made you work in his business?”
“It was his way or the army.” Erik closed his eyes. “Damn.”
“What?”
“I miss that fucker, even if he was an asshole.”
“I do too,” Jamie confessed. “I miss him a lot.”
“He was practically your dad too.”
“He was the only dad I knew,” Jamie corrected, then sighed. “It’s kind of ironic, huh?”
“What?”
“How I’m in the military, exactly where Dad died in ‘91.”
“I don’t think it’s irony,” Erik said, crouching down beside him. “You wanted to go to school. All I wanted to do was get away from my dad’s business.”
“They offered to help you go to school.”
“I barely made it through high school, Jamie. How the hell would I have made it through college?”
“What’re you talking about? You managed to make it through medic training.”
“That’s only because I wasn’t having to read books upon books upon books that rambled on about particular little nerves that didn’t mean a thing.” When Jamie shrugged, Erik laughed and added, “At least your mom was cool.”
“My mom drove me nuts.”
“Don’t tell me you weren’t a momma’s boy.”
“I’m not,” Jamie laughed, smacking his friend’s shoulder. “It happens when you don’t have a dad.”
Erik sighed. “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to bring it up.”
“It happens.”
Standing, Erik placed his hands on the railing and looked out at the fog-covered cityscape before them. “Hey,” he said. “Jamie?”
“Yeah?”
“So much for the war being over.”
For a brief moment, Jamie thought about replying. After a moment though, he sighed, stood, and made his way to his friend’s side.
Only one thought occurred to him the moment he clasped his friend’s shoulder.
The world really had ended in 2012.
Later that morning, after both he and Erik had finished their watch duty, Jamie stood beneath the spouting head of a locker-room shower faucet, rolling amidst the freezing waves of bliss that rained down upon him. With power briefly restored by a charitable Kirn and Wills, who’d managed to locate a generator within the boiler room beneath the converted asylum, Jamie had been offered a five-minute shower, one he’d been quick to take immediately upon entering. Erik, meanwhile, had been instructed to take up his position in the lobby, much to his displeasure. Though he pitied his friend, Jamie felt thankful for his moment of solitude.
Stepping out of the shower, he flipped his towel off its rack and made his way across the brief distance from the shower stall to the sinks. As the fog from the mirror began to clear, revealing grey walls, shower stalls and the charcoal-tiled floor, Jamie leaned forward and examined his reflection. His bangs were a mess and his usually clean-shaven jaw was sprouting a beard. He took a moment to study his new appearance, then reached for a razor and scissors.
The sarge is going to kill me, he thought, slathering his hand in shaving cream.
He carefully shaved and trimmed the beard to a neat, almost-professional appearance. His hair he left alone, though it would most likely get him reprimanded, with his straight, boyish bangs hanging over his eyes. No longer did he look like a rugged wildman freshly emerged from the woods. Now he looked handsome, charming even in his own respect.
“Better than nothing,” he mumbled, stroking his fingers through the hairs hanging from his chin. He took a moment to clean the area before dressing in army casuals and making his way out of the room.
The moment his foot touched down in the hallway, a pair of hands grabbed him and pushed him against the wall.
“What took ya so long?” Derek Kirn growled, shoving Jamie against the wall when he tried to step away from it. “Jerking off in there?”
“I was only in for five minutes.”
“Five minutes my ass. Look at my watch.” The man raised his wrist. “Five oh one.”
“Oh,” Jamie smiled. “You gonna tell the sarge I was in the bathroom for one extra minute?”
“Damn right I will, faggot.”
“You’re the one who seems obsessed with whether or not I’m jerking off in the bathroom, Kirn. I wouldn’t be calling me a faggot if I were you.”
“Why you little—”
“That’s enough,” Sergeant Armstrong said, stepping into the hall. “Is there a problem here?”
“This little pussy was in the bathroom longer than he was supposed to be,” Kirn said.
“Yeah,” Donald Wills added. “What Kirn said.”
“I’ll have you both aware that this little pussy, as you call him, is your commanding officer. Don’t forget, gentlemen, that Mr. Marks here is a corporal.”
“Fuck that!” Kirn cried. “He was in the bathroom for longer than he should have been!”
“Like Corporal Marks said, Mr. Kirn, you seem to be a bit too fixated on the fact that your commanding officer was in the bathroom longer than you anticipated.”
“But you said—”
“Enough! Kirn, Wills, go to your room. Jerk your dicks on your own time.” With nothing else to say, both men turned and made their way up the stairs, both mumbling under their breaths. Once sure they were out of earshot, the sergeant turned to face Jamie. “My apologies, Corporal. I see you haven’t cut your hair.”
“Wasn’t in the mood.”
“Or your beard.”
“Only had one razor,” Jamie smiled.
“I’ll let it pass because there’s more important things to attend to. I will, however, ask that you not let Kirn and Wills get away with such behavior.”
“I wasn’t aware that they weren’t under your orders, sir.”
“You’re not stupid, Corporal. You know what stands with me and what doesn’t. You’re dismissed until eighteen-hundred hours. Dinner will be served on the second floor.”