She buried her face in his shoulder. “No,” she agreed. “Things couldn’t be more screwed up, could they? Is something wrong with us, trying to find our own happiness tonight after all the tragedy?”
“Maybe we’re owed for a piece of luck to come out of it,” he said. “Balance the scales maybe. This, between us, is good, right? I want to see where it goes, if you do.”
She kissed his bristly cheek. Imagining the feel of his scruff on sensitive places was enough to make her aroused again but he was right in what he’d said earlier, this wasn’t the time. “I’m totally on board with the idea of there being an ‘us’.”
He pulled her to her feet and took her to the edge of the pond. “We’d better rinse off again and then we’d best get back to the cabins. It’ll be shift change soon and I gotta check up on my guys on guard duty. I’m not sure how dedicated a couple of them are.”
“You’d think with what’s at stake, they’d all be,” she said, stepping into the pond again.
“Yeah well we’re pretty much all strangers to each other,” Les said with cold practicality. “And no one’s taken an oath or anything. I can only extend my trust so far.”
After a short dip in the soothing waters, they got dressed and Devora rebraided her hair while Les watched in fascination. Then they headed up the trail to the main area of the park. There was no conversation and Devora had the impression Les was mulling something over. Just before she stepped into the big pool of light cast by the lamps atop the ranger station and the meeting facility, Les touched her elbow and she turned to him, expecting another kiss. He did give her a quick peck on the lips but seemed a bit ill at ease.
“Look, I—I gotta be totally straight with you,” he said. “I’m going to get these two buses and these people to the refugee center at Glastine, drive them right up to the gates, but then I’m walking away. Striking out on my own.”
Devora was puzzled and a little hurt but had to admit although they’d had terrific sex together, they weren’t in any kind of a relationship, despite all the cozy talk about ‘us’. “Because of what we just did?”
“No, oh of course not.” His quick reassurance was comforting. “I’ve already had two experiences in big camps run by other people and nether one ended well, you know? I know I can do better on my own.”
She didn’t get his logic and voiced her disbelief. “Don’t judge what the government may have waiting for us at Glastine by Jonny’s ad hoc situation in Rosewater. He was an idiot and a bully and after the sheriff died he wouldn’t listen to advice from anyone. I’m sure the authorities have everything organized and well protected up at Glastine. The government planned for this kind of situation all the time. Well maybe not an apocalypse of the undead infected exactly, but for catastrophes. It’s got to be better there than on your own. Safer.”
Her argument didn’t seem to be convincing him, judging by the skepticism reflected on his face. “Yeah, I experienced those contingency plans at work firsthand in New Damarkal when they converted the arena into a camp. Didn’t take more than two days for the whole thing to fall apart.”
“I’m sure whoever is in charge at Glastine has taken the lessons learned and made their camp stronger,” she argued. Devora had to believe they were heading toward a true sanctuary, where civilization as she’d known it still existed. Her faith in the planetary government and the military was strong after her years as a police dispatcher, on the fringes of the operation of life on Randal Four. She’d participated in quadrennial exercises where the communities went through mock exercises together. Even Rosewater had had an emergency plan, parts of which the sheriff had tried to implement. The idea of the Glastine camp not being the solution to her and Jenny and everyone else surviving this current horror was literally unthinkable.
He gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “I guess we’ll find out in a few days. You good?”
No, I’m upset, she thought with bitterness but didn’t give voice to her anger. Les hadn’t been required to tell her what his plan was and even if she was disappointed she should respect his honesty. “It’ll all look better in the morning, I’m sure,” she said in a soothing tone. And maybe once we get there I can persuade you to stay, for your own good and mine,
“Good, I’m glad we had this conversation then. Goodnight.” He watched her walk to the kitchen door and disappear inside after giving him a final wave. Devora appreciated his attentiveness. She hoped it wouldn’t be awkward between them in the morning when it came time to leave the campground.
Chapter Six
Les had a lingering sense of unease in the morning but couldn’t pin down the reason. The campground remained clear of infected and seeing Devora in the dining room, serving pancakes and bacon was a pleasure. He had no regrets about their interlude by the hot springs and hoped they’d find another opportunity for private time as the trip went on. He made sure to seek her out in the kitchen after he ate and give her a kiss on the cheek. She’d seemed like she was shy of him this morning.
“Hey, everything okay?” he asked, arm around her waist.
“A little sore,” she said with a blush. “But otherwise fine.”
“Good.” He kissed her again, not caring if anyone saw them together. He took a minute to pick Jenny up and give her a quick piggyback ride through the kitchen while she giggled and clung tight. Toppling her into Devora’s outstretched arms, Les said, “I want to leave in a few minutes. Don’t bother cleaning any of this up since it’s not like anyone else is coming this way ever.. Can you spread the word to gather by the buses?”
“I hate to leave the place in a mess,” she said, gazing at the disordered kitchen as she balanced Jenny on her hip. “Goes against the grain.”
He shrugged. “New world. I’ll send a couple of the guys in to lug the stasis containers out to the buses.”
“Not much left of what we scavenged at the restaurant,” she said. “It’ll be survival rations from here unless we find another place to forage.”
“I don’t want to count on that,” Les said. “See you out there.”
He checked in with Ethan and the two of them watched the group assemble, ready to board the buses and continue their journey. Les counted heads and did it again as he frowned. “Someone’s missing.” He realized it was one of his armed men. “Where’s Prescott?”
The refugees exchanged glances but no one spoke up.
“He did his shift of guard duty,” said Linda, the woman who’d been a guard as well. “I relieved him—you checked with me when you did your rounds, remember?”
“He was at breakfast,” Devora said. “I gave him seconds on the pancakes.”
“We’re not leaving until I know where he is,” Les said. He figured if Prescott had wanted to strike out on his own, like the small group had done the day before, he wouldn’t have stood guard duty overnight.
