End of the Line (5 page)

             
When he was gone, Eli turned to me. “I didn’t vote against him, if that’s what you are thinking. We can use medical professionals.”

             
“Neither did I,” said Ashley. 

             
“I didn’t think you would,” I said, and lied. Ashley wouldn’t hold a grudge against me for Tanya but Eli might.
             

             
Robert came back. 

             
“Are you ready?” he asked. I wanted this to be over already.

             
“This is a special case,” Jim said, “A mother and daughter.  I don’t think we should turn them away.”

             
Jim was right. We didn’t turn away kids and we especially didn’t separate them from parents.

             
Robert let them in. The girl came first. She looked 7 or 8, messy blond hair but cute as a button and terrified. When we made eye contact she broke out into a run, screaming. The woman behind her, a woman in her thirties with a face covered in dirt and a hair that looked like it had never been washed, held a handgun. Instead of putting it on the table, she pointed it at Jim. Jim had a look of terror in his face with a hint of recognition. “I remember you!” she said. I stood up to get to Jim before it was too late.

             
There was a loud bang. Jim stood there with his hand on his chest, looking for blood, but none was there. Instead the crazy woman fell to the ground, a bullet hole in her chest, blood splattered on the wall behind her and her eyes wide open. The girl kept screaming.

             
“Oh shit,” Jim said. “Holy fucking shit.”

             
I looked to Princess, but she was emotionless, scratched that, almost pleased. She didn’t care that she killed this girl’s mother.

             
“What the fuck,” I said to her.

             
“She was threatening us,” she said, deadpan. I didn’t know how to respond. Princess was a perfect shot; she could have easily winged her.

             
Eli comforted the girl. Robert looked terrified. He backed up against the wall.

             
“I’m so sorry,” Eli said to her. She had stopped screaming and was now crying hard. He picked her up and carried her into the store, away from the grizzly scene.

             
I sat on my chair again. I couldn’t do this anymore. 

             
“Jim, did you know her?” I asked.

             
He shook his head but he looked at Ashley. I don’t know what secret that shared but now I was too frazzled to ask.

             
“I think we are done,” I said.

             
“We have one more person,” Jim said and he still looked confused and still in shock “We should see her. Why don’t we take a break?  Dave and Robert can get rid of the body.

             
“I can’t,” I said to Jim.

             
He looked at me and made eye contact. He looked up to me; he didn’t want to see me falling apart. It was Maddie and him that I would save if anything happened. If that woman fired before princess, if she hurt Jim-- I don’t know what I would do. “Who is left?”

             
“It’s a woman, 30, secretary, but claimed she’s also a massage therapist. I think she could help with morale.”

             
“Robert, cover the body and let her in.”

             
“Doc?”

             
“You heard what I said. I want to finish this but I can’t deny this woman her time.”

             
R
obert nodded then left the room. 

             
“What about Eli?” Ashley said.

             
“We have three votes here, if we all like her that will be enough.”

             
Robert came back a few minutes later. He had a sheet and he covered the dead woman. We would burn her body on the roof later.

             
He didn’t say anything. He went to the door and opened it. A woman came in. She was about my age, chubby but short, Indian with a look of fear on her face. Robert patted her down but came up with no weapons.

             
“I heard shots,” she said. I motioned to the body on the floor, blood already staining the sheets.

             
“She threatened us. Do you plan to threaten us?”

             
“No—“ she said. “I want to be safe from them. I’m tired of running.”

             
“Nowhere is safe.”

             
“Yes, but you got guns and food. I can do massage on everyone and garden too, I’ll grow stuff.”

             
“What’s your name?”

             
“Sachi Chandi. I was just an assistant and they said not to come in, but my family died of the flu and my father—“ she paused.

             
“I know,” I said. “We all have stories. You don’t have
to share if you don’t want to.”
             

             
“I don’t,” she said, quiet
ly.

             
“Let’s take a vote.”

             
Jim gave out papers.  We did our thing.

             
“Yes,” he said, “We all vote yes.”

             
Maddie waited for me behind the door. She handed me a small bottle of something and I sipped it. Some kind of booze burned my throat but calmed my jagged nerves. I didn’t want to
have another crying fit today.

             
Jim looked calmer than me despite being threatened with a gun. Eli hadn’t come back, so Robert worked on the fortified door’s elaborate locking mechanism. Jim escorted Sachi to the infirmary instead of Maddie. Mindy would look her over. Ashley looked like she was heading to her room. Princess left without a word, though I wondered if she was happy to get what she wanted.

             
“You look like hell.”

             
Madelyn “Maddie” Thomas was beyond a best friend. I couldn’t have survived without her. She worked as a teacher before and kept up the education for the three kids. Besides being a fantastic teacher, she loved to cook and made amazing meals. I wondered why she was a teacher not a chef, but her twenty years spent teaching fourth grade told me otherwise. She had planned to write a cookbook, even joked about writing the zombie survival one. She cooked for any of us, even for Dave whom I would have told to go make his own beans. Maddie was fat, but it didn’t slow her down. I could see her match Robert in the heavy lifting. Not that you could tell that to Dave who thought Maddie was a weak link. I don’t know what Dave’s problem was. No one else disliked Maddie. The home cooked meals she tossed together brightened spirits. All three kids would get the education they needed.

             
“I feel that way too.”

             
“Heard there was excitement?”

             
I
forgot about Dan. Where was he?

             
Maddie read my mind. “Your friend is waiting for you in the infirmary.”

             
“He okay?”

             
“Anxious to see you. Eli’s with the girl. I’ll look in on her later when Rosa watches the kids. Aisha is watching them now.”

             
“We’re still having dinner tonight after the mandatory meeting?”

             
“For anyone who wants. Let’s make it a late night party. To after midnight so everyone can come.”

             
Except Princess of course. In the beginning Maddie tried to be friendly to her, occasionally bringing her meals, which she ate hal
f of but never said thank you.
             

             
I wouldn’t be staying up until midnight. I was lucky if I could make it to ten.

             
I hugged Dan again when I got to the infirmary. Mindy chatted with Sachi, who gave me a weak smile when I came in. Annemarie listened to my advice and was lying down on a cot in the corner aisle away from everyone. Eli was still with the little girl. Both were sitting on a cot. The little girl had a cup in her hand and would occasionally sip from it.

             
I found Henry lying down on a cot, out cold and snoring. I didn’t see Tanya.

             
After I finished hugging Dan, I went over to Mindy. We moved away from the others.

             
“Status?” I asked.

             
“Tanya, Sachi, and Dan are fine, other than the normal exhaustion and malnutrition.”

             
I
looked around. “Where’s Tanya?
             
“She said she was fine and left.” I wasn’t sure I liked Tanya walking around unescorted. “Don’t worry. Jim went to look for her.”

             
Mindy looked over to the girl and Eli. “The girl’s in shock. Eli’s been looking after her. You should look her over.”

             
I
nodded and walked over to Eli.

             
“Hi,” I said to the little girl. She was a little bit younger than my own. Up close I could see if she was filthy although the dirty wipes on the table next to her indicating someone had tried to clean her up but she still stunk. When she felt better she could shower.

             
The girl frowned.

             
“Are you all right?”

             
“That wasn’t her mother,” Eli said. “She said the woman hurt her.”

             
“Oh, honey,” I said. I touched the girl’s shoulder and she flinched. I didn’t blame her. At least she was away from that deranged woman who I’m pretty tried to use the girl to get in. I’m sure she tried to get in before judging by looks on Jim and Ashley’s faces. I don’t remember her so it was probably before I came.

             
“What’s your name?” I asked.

             
The girl looked at Eli.

             
“It’s okay, Rachel is a friend. She’s a nurse and the leader here.”

             
“Jennifer,” the girl said, her voice a whisper. “I want my mommy.”

             
“I know,” I said. I knew the girl’s mother was likely dead. “There are three other children here and some very nice adults. There is a lady here named Maddie, she’s sweet. She’ll look after you.”

             
“Mommy says I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”

             
“That’s right, but if you talk to the other children here, you’ll find that we are all friends. You’re talking to Eli right?”

             
She nodded. “Eli’s like daddy,” she said. Eli melted when she said that. His face softened.

             
“See,” I said, trying to sound happy, but I couldn’t. “Eli will look after you as well.”

             
“I don’t feel so well,” she said and then buried her face into Eli’s chest and began sobbing.

             
“I’ll look her over later.”

             
Eli nodded. He held the girl tightly. I hoped she would bounce back like Simon. “You let the last person in,” he said, calmly and motioned to Sachi.

             
“Yeah,” I said. “I know it’s 21 but I think we can make an exception.””
             

He looked at the girl. “Yeah, I think so.”

I stood up and went to Sachi who still looked shaky.

“Doing okay?”

“As best as I can. I’m glad to be somewhere safer—“ her voice trailed off.

“I can never guarantee a hundred percent safety, but we try our best.”

“Thank you.” She looked past me.

I turned around and saw that Dave had come in and stood next to Dan. I walked over to him.

“Heard there was trouble,” he said. 

“Nothing Princess couldn’t handle.”

“Yes, but I also heard we are 21 now. Abe said no more than 20.”

“It’s not a big deal. Number 21’s a kid.”

“Ashley said one’s a thug.” Word got around.

“Her name is Tanya. She’s not a thug.”

“We said no criminals.”

“Let her steal all the cash in the registers.”

“I’m talking about food and drugs, stuff we need to survive.”

“She won’t get far if she steals from us.”