“Believe it or not, pancakes are probably one of the least healthful breakfasts. Probably no better than a doughnut. They’re aptly named—pancake, whiteflour and sugar. Empty calories. No nutritional value. But, it is vegan, and, right now, we don’t have a lot of healthy options. I read the box to ensure the mix didn’t contain eggs.
“If we stay in one place for a while, I can cook healthier options with canned vegetables, beans, and lentils.”
Staying for a while…he loved the sound of that. “Thank you for the pancakes. I appreciate your efforts on my behalf.” If not for her, he wouldn’t know what was edible unless he smelled it—and he wouldn’t have eaten oatmeal and pancakes. Or vegan chili. He never would have picked that based on the picture on the can.
“You’re welcome. Have you figured out what you’ll say to Grav?”
He shrugged. “Hi, I’m your brother, Rok.”
“That’s it?”
“What else is there?”
He didn’t know how to express the tangle of unfamiliar emotions. He could hardly define what he felt, and his vocabulary for emotions was extremely limited. How could he explain the inexplicable? And if he could, would his brother understand? Or would he think he was weak?
“How are you feeling about today?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He shifted on the bench.
“Are you happy? Nervous?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sure he’ll be as glad to see you as you are to see him.” She covered his hand and gave a little squeeze. He ached to tell her how he felt aboutherbut didn’t know how to explain that either. And what if it scared her?
“I’m not so sure about that,” he replied.
“Why do you say that?”
“We’re Progg.”
“You’re family. All you have is each other.”
“How do you feel about meeting other humans?” He diverted the subject from himself.
Her mouth twisted wryly. “Happy. Nervous,” she parroted his answer. “I had a recent bad experience. But while I need to be cautious and not stupid, I have to take a leap of faith and trust the woman who posted the message on the banner has good intentions. That your brother does, too. I’m taking it on your say-so that meeting him is safe. I will trust him because I trust you.”
“I promise you’ll be safe,” he vowed. To his chagrin, he’d never considered the risk to her. He’dbeen assuming Grav presented no threat, lacking the killer instinct as their parents always said. Who knew what he’d become? He had been the aide to the commander who’d unleashed the assault on Earth. The person with him could be a tracker like Knife. What if the message had been a ruse to lure in unsuspecting survivors?
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” As much as he wished to reunite with Grav, he’d kill him if he had to.
Chapter Eighteen
“Try these on.”Chloe shoved a pair of jeans and a smoky-blue cotton pullover into Rok’s arms and pointed him toward the dressing room. “Don’t forget the underwear. You have two types. Pick the one you prefer.” She plopped a pack of jockey shorts and another of boxers atop his armload.
Lucky for us, Springfield got vaporized during business hours,she thought as Rok ducked into the dressing room at Bass Pro. Had the city been vaporized late at night, none of the stores would have been open. Instead, they were free to walk in anywhere.
Like they had at the pawnshop where they’d acquired two wind-up Timex watches. A battery-operated clock gave them the time, and they set them.Takes a licking but keeps on ticking—even after an alien invasion.
Street signs had pointed the way to the sporting goods megastore of all megastores—Bass Pro, and shedecided to take Rok there for clothes, since they had time to kill anyway.
Bass Pro was like Disneyland for men, fulfilling every fishing, boating, camping, hunting, and outdoor sport fantasy. Normally prominent in its décor were the taxidermy trophies, but the hides had been vaporized along with people and living animals. Only Styrofoam forms and glass eyes remained.
But Rok couldn’t tell anything was missing, and he darted around in awe. She followed, answering his questions as best she could, amused by his excitement. He was a guy who liked guy stuff, even if he had no idea what the stuff was! Men were men, whether they came from Earth, Mars, or Progg-Res.
No surprise he insisted on seeing the hunting section. And it testified to her trust that she showed it to him.
The open cases in the gun room sent a chill up her spine. The glass doors hadn’t been opened but cut. Several empty racks indicated weapons had been taken. It had been an orderly acquisition—not a smash-and-grab—but it gave her the willies. Were armed individuals still in the store? She quieted her nerves with the realization Kevin would alert them and tried to reframe the disappearance of the guns as apositive sign of other survivors. Of course, people would arm themselves. As she would after she learned how to use a gun. It would do more harm than good to carry a weapon she didn’t know how to use.
