“Anyone ever been to Glastine before?” he asked.
A few hands were raised. “It’s about two thirds the size of New Damarkal,” a woman volunteered. “Probably four or five days drive from here. There isn’t much between here and there.”
“A couple of small villages,” added another man.
“Might be best to avoid those if we can,” an older woman said.
“We’ll take it as it comes,” Les said. “From what I saw on the map holo, the road goes pretty much straight through. All right, here’s the deal for right now. I want all you people to forage through this place, open every cabinet and drawer and grab anything edible that isn’t spoiled, as well as any water or other drinks. It’s community property now?—”
“I’ll take charge of it, if you want,” the woman with the toddler volunteered. “I’m Devora Sims from Rosewater. I’m a police dispatcher, or I was, and I was the head cook at Jonny’s compound. I’ve got experience making the food stretch.”
“Done. Thank you. We’ll use the bus cargo compartment as our collection point,” Les said, grateful for Devora stepping forward. “We’ll divide the supplies between the buses in case we get separated. I want to redistribute the passengers as well, to even it out and give people more elbow room.” He estimated he had about fifty survivors, not counting the five who’d already moved to the side and were discussing their plans. “I need two volunteers to relieve my guards in fifteen minutes so they can catch a break.” He was pleased to have more volunteers than he needed and picked a woman who projected a tough, no nonsense air as she brandished a small stunner and a man with a hand blaster. “Use the facilities, pick up anything you want for yourself that isn’t food or beverages and keep in mind we’re leaving in thirty minutes. Let’s move with a purpose, people.” He made a shooing motion and after a brief hesitation the crowd scattered, some going to the gift shop and others heading for the restaurant.
Les stepped off the bus step with a grateful sigh. Ethan and Devora remained at his side. Looking at his fellow driver, he said, “There was a park a few hours ahead. I figure we’ll spend the night there and then we can have another meeting, find out who everyone is, do the kumbaya thing. You and I can also go over the buses then, make sure they’re going to hold up for the entire trip. And turn off the damn flashers, alarms and red lights.”
Ethan grinned. “Sounds good. I’m going to go check out the store here.”
Les directed his attention to Devora next. “Cute kid. What’s her name?”
“Jenny,” the child said, giving him a shy smile from the safety of Devora’s arms.
“We found her abandoned in the yard,” Devora said quietly. “Tamsyn gave her to me and here we are.”
“Thanks for volunteering to be in charge of the supplies,” he said.
“You think everyone is going to share what they scavenge in there?” she asked skeptically.
“Most will. Sure a few people may grab something for themselves but I can only control so much here, lady.”
The man who’d been so unwilling to do what Les had asked came up to them, the other people lingering a few steps back. “We’re gonna clear those two cars and take off,” he said.
”And you’re telling me why?”
“We want our share of the food and drinks,” the man said.
Les stared at him for a moment and transferred his glare to the others. “Your share? You ain’t part of my group anymore. You opted out, remember? But hey, it’s a free country, see what you can find inside.”
The defectors rushed off without further discussion.
“I wonder where they plan to go, if not to the camp at Glastine,” Devora said.
“I don’t know and I don’t care. I’d rather not have them on my buses.”
Devora shuffled her foot uneasily. “Can I ask a favor? Would you walk us inside to the restroom? I know you said you’d cleared the building but I’m scared of meeting any more infected And I’ve got Jenny to watch out for as well.”
He didn’t mind at all. It would give him a chance to check on the people he’d set to foraging. Making a grand gesture, he indicated for them to precede him to the store. On a whim he took Jenny from Devora and hoisted her to his shoulders, which made the toddler giggle and clutch at his hair.
The store had been a mess when he entered it the first time but now it was even more of a disaster, with all the people rooting through the shelves and the debris on the floor, searching for anything usable or edible. He escorted Devora straight to the back, where the bathrooms were and actually walked into the ladies with her. “We checked in here but let me do a quick recon to set your mind at rest,” he said, ignoring the startled objections of several other women.
He felt rewarded by Devora’s smile and soon enough he left her in the large sink area as she was cleaning Jenny’s face and hands. Once outside he made a quick circuit of the store to see how things were going and on his return to the restroom area he paused at a colorful display of cheap kids’ toys. Grabbing a hot pink backpack with unicorns and comets on it he hastily stuffed some coloring books, crayons, a toy car, several action figures and few children’s books into it, along with several sparkly tee shirts and a nightgown with a fairy princess on it. He paused at a shelf holding tiny stuffed animals and grabbed as many as he could, sealing the pack shut and stepping to the ladies’ room door as Devora emerged with her charge.
“Got this for the kid,” he said, thrusting the pack at her. “Help keep her from getting bored on the road since it’s going to be a long drive. Wait to let her open it till we’re on the move.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you,” Devora said, flashing him a tired grin.
“No surprise no one else seems to have wanted any of the stuff.” He took a pair of sparkly sunglasses with butterflies on the frames and put them on Jenny’s head. “For you, kiddo.”
They went outside to the buses and Les was pleased to see people piling their finds next to the bus cargo compartment as ordered.
