“Lucky,” the doctor said and I thought back to my mother, too weak to get out of bed, immobilized by pain and gasping for every breath. I used to climb into that same bed with her in the middle of the night when I’d had a bad dream. Now, I couldn’t think about that bedroom without feeling sick to my stomach.
When the doctor finally left, I said to Cipher, “I’ve never gotten a shot before, not that I can remember, and the doctor said I need five.”
“I’ll hold your hand, and if you’re good, I’ll get you some ice cream after.”
“Teresa’s going to want some too,” I said, since that was practically all we’d talked about on our way here.
“Then we’ll make sure to include her.”
We waited for the doctor to return, but it was a nurse instead, and apparently, the shots were less painful if injected in a fatty area, specifically my butt cheeks, so I hiked up my gown and bent over the examining table. Cipher held my hand, and I tried to remember what ice cream tasted like to distract me from the discomfort and humiliation.
“You’re doing very well,” Cipher said midway through.
“I don’t like it,” I said.
“No one likes shots,” the nurse said.
The nurse finished, and Cipher handed me my clothes to get dressed. I remembered the first time I found him sleeping in my brother’s bedroom with his leg off.
“Are you turned on yet?” I asked as I shrugged back into my clothing.
“By you, always,” he said with a wink that made my cheeks burn. “But there’s a time and place for everything, Kitten. At least you’re not a walking Typhoid Mary now.”
“A what?”
He shook his head and steered me out of the room. “Come on. Maybe we can find you some racoon-flavored ice cream.”
* * *
It seemedlike hours later when we were finally able to leave that building, each of us with a bundle of clothing and bedding and a room assignment at a nearby dormitory. Inside the dorm, there were several people our age milling about or else gathered in common areas watching television. We’d been watching this same program after the game show ended, a sitcom about some friends who lived in New York City and complained about everything, but in a funny way.
Several of the building’s inhabitants stared at us as we entered, though none of them approached, probably on account of all the weaponry. They eyed my cat too. I held her closer to me.
Our room assignments were on the fourth floor, and Cipher suggested we get used to taking the stairs because elevators in these types of buildings were “old as shit” and we didn’t want to get trapped in one. Gizmo got a pass on account of the wheelbarrow of tech that he had to transport.
We dropped off our stuff in our assigned rooms and discussed a game plan. Gizmo would fashion better locks for our rooms and figure out a security system, Artemis would ask around about the local black market for trading goods and weapons, and Macon would use his natural charm and charisma to get information on Promised Land. Cipher was taking Teresa and I out for ice cream, though he called it, “scouting the local terrain.” She’d had to get shots too, and Macon as well, though he hadn’t complained about his at all. Watching Cipher have to ask another tough-looking youth about where he could score some ice cream was the highlight of my day, until we arrived at the ice cream shop itself.
The shop was cheery-looking, though perhaps in need of a fresh coat of paint. Some of the vinyl chairs were ripped in places and several of the floor tiles were broken, but it was like that everywhere, really. Things fell apart and you didn’t have the parts or know-how to fix it. It took me forever to pick just one from the six flavors they offered, so long that Cipher said he’d get one too and let me try it. I finally settled on strawberry because I knew already that I liked it, and it seemed less risky than the others. Cipher ordered butter pecan, and I ended up liking his more, so he switched with me. When I asked where they’d gotten the milk to make ice cream, Cipher said there were likely factory farms somewhere outside the city that were guarded by the military. It sounded like an awful situation for the cows, and I felt a little bad about enjoying the ice cream, but it was very delicious and something I hadn’t tasted since Before.
“You’re a good boyfriend,” I told him while Teresa and I knocked our feet together underneath the table, both of us savoring every single lick. She ordered peppermint, and she let me try it, which confirmed for me that butter pecan was the way to go. We talked about all the marvels of the city–television, hot showers, lights illuminating the rooms even when it was dark outside, people walking up and down the streets, and not a Rabid in sight.
“Just because you don’t see Rabids doesn’t mean they’re not here,” Cipher said. “Carry your weapons with you wherever you go.”
“Do you think we’ll be safe here?” Teresa asked.
“Same rules apply. Don’t go out alone or without a radio. Always tell the group where you’re going and when you’ll be back.”
“I thought the whole reason to move to the cities was to be safe,” I said.
“There is no ‘safe,’” he said gravely. “Not when dealing with people either. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t hesitate to call for backup. And be on the lookout for any signs of the virus. If an outbreak happens, we’re getting the hell out of here.”
We moved into our rooms properly a little while later. We were all on the same floor–I think Cipher bribed the desk lady to make it so–and I was bunking with Cipher, actual bunk beds, which was kind of fun, even though I’d hoped we’d be sharing a bed. After Cipher inspected every nook and cranny of our room, I unpacked our things, separating the soiled clothing from the clean–laundry, another perk of city living. I folded our few items of clothing and arranged our belongings and other gear in the dresser drawers, reserving one especially for Cipher’s weapons, as instructed.
When everything was tidy with clean sheets on both beds, I went over to the window where Cipher stood outside on the fire escape, smoking a cigarette and surveying the street below us. His slender form was a dark silhouette against the night sky, and I remembered when we first met and I thought he was a demon. Even though I knew him better now, there were still a million things I didn’t know.
“It’s okay,” he said and offered his hand. “It’ll hold both of us.”
I climbed out the window and joined him there on the fire escape. I was glad we weren’t any higher up in the building. Even from the fourth floor, it was a little scary looking down. I gripped the edge of the rusted metal with both hands and glanced up at the sky.
