What will happen to the lucky people that pass you screenings? Randy asked, with an odd tone to his voice.
Raven thought it was a mixture of eagerness and disdain. She didn’t much like the idea of having to pass a screening, but the thought that a real doctor would be there gave her hope. If he’s not lying, she reminded herself.
They will come back with me to my compound, he answered. I’ve known for years that something like this was coming. I have medical supplies and plenty of food. We will rebuild society. Angler spoke with fervor, like a televangelist or the leader of a cult. There is a need for women, he added quietly, almost shyly. His tone of voice was totally contradictory to his earlier boldness.
The radio gave another peel of static and it lost power, lights on the dial extinguishing. Henry grumbled and pushed it away.
“What do you think?” Raven asked. She knew that they had to do something; their supplies were getting low and as much as she loved her brother they were tiring of only being in each other’s company. It reminded her of when they were kids, growing up in the same house but without parents and a whole lot more danger.
“I’m not sure,” Henry responded, draining his coffee. “I don’t trust the man at all. President Angler my ass. He’s probably just a power-hungry dip shit. But it does raise an interesting point.” His brow furrowed and he spun the coffee mug on the table. A habit he and Raven had both picked up much to their parents’ irritation. “There must be other survivors out there,” Henry said, meeting Raven’s gaze. His eyes were bright. “I love you, sis, but I … we … can’t stay here together forever. We need to find some more people if only to add to our skill set.”
“I agree with you there,” Raven responded. “You’re pretty good at fixing things and I can do some basic medical triage but neither of us are capable of rebuilding society. I doubt we’ll have electricity and running water much longer. That’s means we’ll have to find a clean stream and bury our waste if we stay here.”
“Yeah,” Henry answered, countenance pensive. “We won’t find many people up here. There are a few that live in the mountains but most are probably like Undead Rob. We’d have a better chance if we drive through the Rockies and see what’s left on the other side.”
Rocky raised his head and gave a gentle woof. He got up and trotted into the kitchen, looking hopeful.
“Not you, dude,” Henry responded, looking at the dog. “I was talking about the mountains.”
Rocky let out a huff of air and lay down, placing his head on his paws, looking disappointed.
Raven chortled then rose to rinse out her mug and start breakfast. “We’ll have to re-up on food and stuff before we go,” she said. “Do you know where the nearest store is?”
“Yeah, there’s a little Mom and Pop store a few miles from here. It isn’t large but always had a good selection of dried goods and toiletries. Plus,” he said, voice raised in excitement. “I bet it won’t be as picked over.”
Raven looked at her brother. He was smiling and there was an undeniable air of excitement to him. He’s as bored as I am here, she thought.
“Well,” she said aloud. “We can’t stay here forever. Finding more people wouldn’t be a bad idea but we should be careful. I’m sure there are plenty of scumbags left alive.”
“Probably a disproportionate amount,” Henry murmured, rubbing his hands across his face. He fiddled with the radio knobs, turning it on then off again, trying to get some activity from it. It was no use. “I think we should spy on this president and his gathering.”
“Hmmm. That’s an idea. We would have to be really careful then. Do you think he has a group already?”
Henry scoffed. “How would I know, ninny?” he smiled to soften his words. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“I think we can get to the first meeting spot in a day or less, wouldn’t you?” Raven asked. “Once we’ve resupplied of course.” The microwave dinged and she rose to fetch the rehydrated eggs and jerky. She was already getting damn tired of jerky but they had to get protein somehow. Raven filled Rocky’s bowl with kibble and set it on the ground for him.
“Yeah, probably,” Henry answered.
They were quiet for a moment, eating. Raven tossed a couple of pieces of meat to Rocky. He gobbled them down with his cup of dog food. That’s getting low too, she thought. I guess I could feed him people food. I’ll have to pretty soon.
Rocky stood on the tiled floor and licked his bowl clean. He looked at her, grinning in that special Pit Bull way. She still felt sadness for Moon Pie’s untimely death but was glad her dog was alive.
Henry gulped down his food and she did the same, shoving it mechanically into her mouth.
“Let’s do this,” Henry spoke, interrupting her thoughts. He swallowed a mouthful of food. “Let’s head out tomorrow, securing the cabin as best we can. We’ll go resupply. That shouldn’t take us more than a few hours. Then we’ll come back and plan out route to Junction 5 and Heath Road. We can scout out the place and see what it’s all about.”
“That sounds good to me,” Raven responded, clearing their plates and running them under the tap. She dumped the last of the coffee down the drain. “Come on Rocky,” she said, drying her hands. “Let’s go outside.”
“I’ll come with you,” Henry