He ran up to Alexa and picked her up and hugged her to him. Laura was just staring at the dead man; the dead man had a large part of the back of his head blown off. Brain matter leaked out and Quinn could see the scalp and bone fragments open, like a flower.
“Laura?” Quinn asked and shook her gently. She jerked as though waking from a daze and looked at him.
“He..he grabbed Alexa. He..he had a knife to her throat. He said if I didn’t give him food, he’d slit her throat. Just like that. He didn’t give a shit that he was holding a child.” She said, almost dreamlike, her eyes wide.
“You okay? Laura? Alexa is okay, she’s safe, you saved her.” Quinn said quietly, rocking the child back and forth in his arms, her small arms locked around his neck in a death grip. He watched as Laura’s eyes came back into focus and then they turned hard and narrowed.
“Yeah, I’m okay, but that fucker will never hurt another child.” She reached over and peeled Alexa away and the child clung to her mother. Laura walked back to the house and up the steps and past her mother, who stood open mouthed. Then a slow smile of pride spread across the older woman’s face. Quinn grinned as well. Laura had been magnificent. He guessed that she’d just crossed over to the new world.
Ӝ
Kansas City, MO
Trish was tired, it had only been a six-hour shift, but it had been nightmarish. Their medical supplies were dwindling fast and they’d not gotten but a quarter of their normal replenishment. It didn’t help that violence throughout the city was over the top crazy. They had twelve stabbings, nine gunshot wounds, three stranglings, and eight beatings. All vicious and all over food. Some were victims, but most were perpetrators. There were only a few police, because so many of the officers were scattered all over the city, trying to put down riots and fights.
She’d driven to work that morning, freezing because of the missing window, there had been snow flurries. She’d been quoted five times the cost of a normal replacement window. It had been crazy. Hogan had put up heavy plastic. It wasn’t great, and it flapped loudly, but it helped with the worst of the cold. She’d gotten a gun, however. Hogan had gone with her and gotten a Taurus PT 709 Slim. It was small enough, to hide well. She had it in a bra holster. It had cost her three times the normal price and Hogan had been livid, but the shop owner had thrown in extra ammo for her weapon and for Hogan’s Glock.
There hadn’t been a lot of weapons left in the store. The shelves were nearly empty. Hogan had talked the man into selling a used AR15, it was the store owner’s own weapon. He’d boasted that he had several.
“Look, we’ve got three children, all under the age of three. We need to protect them.” Hogan had told the man, who’d lost the hard line across his mouth. Apparently, he was a father. Trish had to turn her head away, Hogan was talking about the dogs, but the man didn’t know that, and it had worked. They’d gotten enough ammo and looking back; it had been well worth the money. Her wallet had taken a beating, but Hogan and she had discussed it. Soon, money would be worth nothing. Period. Things were going to hell fast. The U.S. dollar was in the toilet.
They’d been watching the news, someone inside Washington D.C., had divulged that the members of Congress, the Senate and House of Representatives, were living like kings. People inside the parameter of central D.C. had been removed from their homes. The displaced people of both the House and the Senate were given the expensive apartments in the surrounding areas. The man’s face was blurred, and his voice altered. Then, suddenly, the TV station had gone blank, off the air. Hogan had looked at her.
“That can’t be good. Sounds like the government is getting whatever they can get their hands on. Jesus Christ.” He’d said.
“That’s because someone else is building those goddamned Hives. Did you see them? They look like prisons. With high fences all around and razor wire on top and not to mention the guards with guns, for Christ’s sake.” Trish had said. She still couldn’t believe it. Kansas City was burning, people rioting, fighting for every scrap of food. The government was eating and living in luxury, while most of the time, average Americans were living in darkness. The one percent and the none percent.
The hospital was in a constant state of flux, lights going on and off. Several patients on the third floor had died. Several died during surgery, because power went down. The generators were losing the war, they’d not had a refueling and the hospital administrators were losing their minds.
Trish sighed, she just wanted to get home. She was so hungry. She’d stopped bringing food to work. Rina had simply stolen her food at every turn. She was tired of feeding the bitch. Lisa Pools, one of the other nurses, caught Rina red handed and beat the hell out of her. Lisa broke Rina’s nose and three fingers. Lisa was put on administrative leave and Rina was fired. Her hand and nose were bandaged up and then she’d been sent packing.
Trish grinned at the memory. Hogan laughed until he cried, over the story.
“Jesus. She got what she deserved; I’ll tell you that.” He’d sniggered.
Trish giggled at the memory, but then the smile left her face. Ahead, there was traffic backed up. Cars were turning around and going back the way they’d come. Her heart started beating rapidly. She just wanted
