Second Chances (28 page)

“Almost. It's tight,” the kid said, grunting. Miles nodded. He popped a cap on a long neck and flipped a fold-out chair out. His part was done. He'd set up the generator, gotten the septic hose out to a narrow defile nearby, and he'd dropped a hose in the river. It had a filter cage to protect it from sucking up debris. He'd have to check on it.

“Where's your mother?” he asked. He'd finished setting up the interior, detached the truck, leveled the fifth wheel, so he figured his part was done.

“Still getting firewood,” Jake said absently.

Miles grunted. “Still getting firewood,” he echoed in a soft mutter sitting back as he took a sip of beer. He'd have to figure something out beer wise. He wasn't sure what the aliens had for them for food and stuff. So far he wasn't impressed on that front. Oh sure, the light show had been impressive as hell and sickening like some of the six flags rides he'd been on, but the follow up left a lot to be desired.

“Are we going to help them?” Jake asked.

“You help them. I'm busy,” Miles grunted saluting him with his beer.

The twelve-year-old gave him a long look then sat in a nearby chair. He pulled out his phone and stared playing with it. “Hey, no signal,” he said.

“No shit Sherlock. Hello?! Alien world here!” his father mocked, rapping his son on the head with a knuckle. Jake dodged a second rap by moving his head. He scowled, then pulled up a game.

“Shit'll rot your brain,” Miles grumbled, taking another pull of his beer.

When the ladies showed up loaded down with wood he saluted them with the beer. “Thanks for all the help Miles,” Nicole grumbled.

“Sure, glad to help,” he said, smiling. She snagged the beer from him with her fingers, then danced out of reach. “HEY!” he protested. She took a pull of beer, then walked off. “Damn it woman! I've only got a twelve pack!” he snarled.

“Then you'd better get off your ass and help or it'll be gone by morning now won't it?” she demanded sweetly. “Not to mention you'll be making your own meal,” she said. Jake grinned but kept playing with his phone.

“Come on,” Miles said, sighing in exasperation. “Duty calls,” he grumbled, getting to his feet.

“Hey, why do I have to do anything?” Jake demanded.

“Cause I said so. Got a problem with that?” Miles asked, eying the kid. Jake knew better than to push it with his father; he'd get his ass kicked if he did. He shook his head quickly then put the phone away. He shot to his feet then was off, out of his father's reach. “Thought not,” Miles snorted.

\------{}------/

Once they had a fire going Miles grabbed another beer. “Can I have one too?” Jake asked.

“What?” Nicole asked, affronted. “Oh hell no!” she said.

“Why not? We're not in the states anymore, so who cares what age I am?” Jake asked, affronted.

“I do for one thing,” Nicole growled.

“And for the second, no,” Miles said. “I'm not having you suck me dry. It's bad enough your mother's doing it,” he grumbled.

“Damn straight,” she said grinning at him. He glowered, but there wasn't much voltage in it. He knew better than to test her.

Jake grumbled, but then went off to check out the neighbors. While he and Sydney did that, the two adults sat back. “So, what do you think?” Nicole asked, looking at the group.

Miles made a show of looking around, then grumbled. “It's just our luck to be stuck with people who don't know English and don't want to work. Welfare cases all of them. Lazy good for nothing spics,” Miles growled.

Miles complained about the spics, falling into his usual rant. “You know damn well they are all illegal immigrants, drug dealers, gang bangers. They are stealing jobs from real Americans.” She looked at him. “Okay, so we're not in America anymore, but we should start an American state here,” he said, waving a hand.

“Hell. I'm proud of being who I am, a man who's served his country. We never wanted the bastards there or here! The aliens should send them home,” he grumbled. “Useless, all of them,” he growled in disgust.

“You know you're full of shit, right?” Nicole demanded, hands on her hips.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” she said. She went on to knock down his complaints one by one. “You want to clean a house? Septic system? Do yard work? Build a house? Do something dirty and hard? Pick fruit or veggies? Scrub a toilet? Install one? No? The problem is, people don't want to do that in the states anymore. Anything minimum wage and you stick your nose up in the air.”

Miles eyes flared in annoyance. “Not Me! Honest work, honest labor!”

“Then you have a lot more in common with them than with anyone else,” she said, jerking her head to the outside. “So, what's the problem then?” Nicole asked him, hands on his hips.

“Um...” He mumbled, unsure. “I just don't like them.”

She sniffed. “Yeah, thought so.” She sighed. “Miles, this is a new world, new traditions. Get with the program or get left behind.”

“I'm going to put us out front. No more...this,” he said, waving a hand to indicate the trailer. “I'll build you a proper house. No, a mansion,” he said.

Her eyes lit. She smiled slowly. “Will you now?” She asked, sinking into his lap. They kissed. “And I'll be forever grateful with you when you do,” she murmured.

He chuckled. “Will you now,” he said. “And how will you repay that?” he asked.

She grinned, then kissed him again. “You'll find out,” she said. “Later,” she said, stroking his chest. “When you've put a down payment on that promise,” she said softly.

“I'll hold you to that,” he murmured.

She chuckled as he stroked her hair. “You do that. But it seems we've both got work to do to get there,” she said.

He sighed in exasperation as she tried to climb out of his lap. He pulled her back in. She slapped at his hands. “Miles!” He hugged her briefly, then let her go. She gave him a mock glower but with a hint of a smile, then went back to her chores.

\------{}------/

“Think we'll see that Chambers guy?” Nicole asked softly when they bedded down for the night.

“No idea,” Miles grumbled. “Why, want his autograph?”

“Listen to them out there,” Nicole said, ignoring his dig. Miles turned an ear to the outdoors. He could hear the animals, the insects and stuff, odd bird chirps, but over that the people around them partying. He'd wanted to go party, but Nicole had nixed that. He did like the occasional zap from his bug zapper by the door. He was glad he'd gotten that. Okay, Nicole had been the one to get it he admitted.

She'd been sensible though; she'd insisted they lock up their valuables before going to bed. He was glad; he'd seen a couple thieves walking in and just walking off with other people's stuff. He'd been tempted to leave the area, but he figured until they knew better there was some safety in numbers. And if anyone came stealing his shit he'd blow their worthless asses away.

“Stupid,” Miles muttered.

“What, the partying?”

“Yeah, that. You were right. We don't know what the hell is going to happen next. I'm thinking it's too early to celebrate,” he said.

“Waiting for the other shoe to drop?” Nicole asked, sounding worried.

“Now don't you go getting all mixed up,” Miles said. “You'll scare the kids,” he growled.

“Yeah,” Nicole sighed. She tucked herself into his side. “I know,” she murmured. Together they listened to the revelers and insects until sleep claimed them.

\------{}------/

During the night Miles and Nicole woke to loud sounds. He heard screams from the camp, which alarmed them both. He came to his screen door warily, armed with his AR-15 and 357 to see dozens of odd lizards. He snorted in disgust. “That?” he demanded. “You people are afraid of a bunch of little bitty lizards?”

“What is it?” Nicole asked, sounding scared.

“Just lizards,” Miles called over his shoulder. He paused though when he saw one near his awning. The thing didn't look right. It took him a moment to realize why. It was small, the size of a lizard, but long and lean. It was also walking on its hind legs. It darted over to the bug zapper and pecked at the ground, eating up the dead bugs. He snorted.

“More power to you,” he said from behind the screen door. The thing looked up to him with its swan neck and hissed, then scampered off.

He frowned, then snorted when he saw hundreds of the things tear off. They moved like a flock of birds, racing across the ground for the bush. He realized why when he saw a couple guys holding up a few of the lizards by the tails. Apparently a few of the lizards had been caught and killed. He nodded. But one guy was holding his wrist, swearing in Spanish. From the look of the blood Miles reasoned that the damn thing had bit the guy before he had smashed it and stomped it flat. Something that looked like a six-legged rat had also been killed. He shook his head and then went to bed.

“Their problem,” he grunted.

“What?” Nicole asked.

“Lizards and rats. You'd think they wouldn't have been so freaked,” he said shaking his head. He was still doubting his own sanity. He could have sworn someone had said something about six legs.

“I'm starting to wish we'd gotten a package from that Chambers guy,” Nicole said. They'd heard over the news and on the radio that some people had been given survival gear by Chambers Inc. Some of it was pretty basic, but other stuff sounded damn good.

“I suppose we could use the survival gear,” Miles said thoughtfully, fighting his rampaging jealousy. “But hell, we couldn't afford whatever he was selling,” he growled. He was starting to regret not cleaning out the militia's MRE and weapons stash.

“He wasn't selling it; he was
giving
it away,” Nicole said.

“Even worse. Shit that's given away always has strings ladies. Mark my words,” Miles growled.

“Come on to bed. Tomorrow's another day,” Nicole sighed, heading off a rant she could feel coming.

He grunted and followed her to bed.

Chapter 15

In the morning Miles checked his gear carefully. Someone had tried to take the pump; it was disconnected. But he'd had the foresight to chain it to a cinder block. He was glad he had now. He frowned thoughtfully. Someone was going to have to be near the trailer at all times. That meant him or Nicole, the kids wouldn't cut it. Jake maybe, if he gave the boy some firepower to back up that mouth of his. But he wasn't certain if that was a good idea or not.

Miles watched as a cowboy led a group out to look around the area. He was tempted to go, but hell if he was going to burn his gas. Not at damn near five...he frowned thoughtfully. Come to think of it, there were no gas pumps here. That was a problem, he thought. He looked up to the bug zapper, then yanked the cord. They'd live with the damn bugs, he thought. The lizard pests could get their own meals the right way like everyone else.

That's when they found aliens and dinosaurs. The group hastily returned, fearful, describing lagarto gigante. Nicole knew some Spic language, she translated it as big lizard. “In other words, dinosaurs,” she said.

A spic nearby heard them and turned to the others. “Dinosaurio?” The others nodded. “Si, senor, plumas.”

“Plumas...plumage...feathers?” Nicole asked. “Dinosaurs with feathers?”

“Dinosaurs, yeah right,” Miles scoffed. “Dinos don't have no feathers,” he said in disgust.

“Si!”

Miles rolled his eyes when he heard the rapid fire Spanish the spics chattered to one another. When he went out to look he thought the dinosaurs, if that was what they really were, were just overgrown chickens and ostriches. That opinion changed abruptly when he saw a flying lizard thing, a pterosaur. It flew about, a big ass thing, over twelve feet from wingtip to tip. It was joined by a bunch of others, and they went out to sea diving and fishing.

His world view was further shaken when he finally went out and scouted with his binoculars. He saw a Rex, it had to be some sort of Rex, drive a herd of animals into the river a half mile away. It took down a thing that looked like some sort of rhino and dragged it to shore. Then the massive beast tore it apart. It bolted down big hunks of flesh, gorging on the meal. Miles gulped, wide-eyed and shaken. Suddenly he had a healthy respect for the feather dusters. Especially for those with teeth like steak knives that size.

“We're really on our own,” Miles said. He shook his head and returned to camp.

When he got there he found a guy waiting for him by the trailer. “You're the guy they call the Colonel?” the tall guy with a bit of a gut and a cowboy hat asked.

The colonel looked him up and down. He wasn't impressed with the jeans and corduroy shirt, but at least the guy was the right skin color. “Yeah,” he drawled. He nodded to the gun on the guy's hip. “You know how to use that?”

“Yeah, I should,” Abe said. “I've been a Texas ranger for the past fifteen years,” he drawled, working something in his mouth before he spat. “You?” he asked, indicating the pistol Miles had been cleaning.

Another tin god, Miles thought, fighting a grimace. “Four years in the Army,” Miles admitted. “One tour in combat,” he said proudly.