all god's orphans

Daniel didn’t look too good, thought Brian, helping him down out of the truck. His mother Carla stepped out after them.

“Is this your house?” She asked Brian. He looked up at it.

“Nope.” He said. “We’re just gonna stay here a while, okay?”

“Okay.” She replied brightly. Brian walked up to the front door and rang the bell, just in case, but no one answered. He wasn’t surprised. He had picked this town because from the highway, it looked completely empty. After they had been turned away from the base, he headed north, finding shelter and food whenever they could, but it was getting more difficult. Most of the towns had fewer and fewer people and the food drops were becoming harder to find. The shelves in the stores were barren, but he could usually find something to eat just by being slightly creative. The backs of the stores, for example, were often untouched, as though no one had thought to look back there. It was getting too hard to do with Daniel, though. His condition was deteriorating rapidly these days and Brian was worried. He needed to find a safe place to stash him so he could forage without worrying about him.

No one answered the door after ringing the bell three times.

“Wait here.” He told them and went to the back. In a few minutes, they heard the click of the lock releasing and Brian opened the front door. The house was empty and virtually indistinguishable from all the others surrounding it save for one feature. It had a clear view of the main approach from town. From this vantage point, Brian could see anything coming from that direction for about two miles. It made him feel better.

He helped Daniel to the couch and watched as he sunk into it, letting himself relax. Most of the time he looked like he was going to fall asleep.

“How do you feel?” Asked Brian, afraid of the answer.

“Like a flat keg of Milwaukee’s Best warming in the sun on a frat house lawn the day after a party.”

“Just rest, okay?” Ordered Brian in the softest possible tone. “I’m going to try and find some supplies.”

“I’ll be right here.” His smile was weak but genuine. Carla sat beside him and held his hand.

“Are you feeling okay, dear?” Her maternal instincts seemed to be unaffected by the loss of her mind.

“I’m okay, mom.” He told her. “Mom? Can you see if there’s a blanket here?” Brian stood up.

“I’ll do it.” But Daniel reached up and gently grabbed his hand.

“Mom, can you look please?” He repeated. She smiled and went off to search the house. “I want you to promise that if anything happens to me, you’ll take care of my mom.” Daniel looked as deeply into Brian’s eyes as his diminished state would allow, which paradoxically had increased his ability to influence his boyfriend.

“Nothing’s going to…” Daniel waved his hand.

“I feel like shit.” He said weakly. “I love you but don’t give me that right now. Just promise me that you’ll take care of her.” Brian sighed and then nodded. “Good.” Daniel seemed to relax. Brian caught sight of the small leather pouch that held Daniel’s insulin.

“How much do you have left?” He asked.

“About three weeks or so.” He said. “If I stretch it.” Brian nodded.

“I’ll be right back.” Brian bent and kissed Daniel’s forehead. “I need to find supplies.”

Brian sat in his truck crying on the steering wheel for what seemed like hours. He had always thought he was tougher, but he was weeping like a little kid who had just lost his puppy. Anger stabbed at his heart. He wanted to know why this was happening. He briefly considered attacking the gates of Ft. Campbell. If they wouldn’t help him, then he would make them pay. He realized how stupid that would be, of course, but it made him feel better to think about it. Instead, he started the truck and drove off towards town looking for the nearest drug store. It didn’t take him long. It never did. Finding the stores wasn’t the problem. There were Walgreen’s everywhere. He was starting to lose track of how many times he had done this.

He knew which aisle had the chips. Where the toys were. Where the soda was. Shoot the door. Open the back door. Keys near the register. He knew it was hopeless. The lights were off. Most of the lights were off these days. Backup generators were failing. Not even the hospitals had power anymore and every single one he had searched had been ransacked as though a horde of locusts had passed through.

He opened the door to the room where the refrigerator was. No telltale humming of the motor. It hadn’t worked for days, which was more than enough time for the insulin to become useless to him. He put his hand on the door, but couldn’t open it. He knew that if he did, stale air would greet him and the light would not go on. He preferred to just skip that part. He turned and left, leaving it unopened. What was the point?

As he made his way back to the front of the store, he heard voices. Quietly, he slipped behind the cosmetics desk and hid beneath the counter. He could tell there were several men wearing heavy boots and he did not want to find out what they were doing here. Had they followed him?

“Aw shit.” Said one. “The power’s out. I wanted a cold beer.”

“You know you ain’t allowed that.” Answered another.

“Shut the fuck up.” Replied the first. Brian caught sight of them. There were four of them, all dressed in camouflage and wearing balaclavas. The rifles slung on their backs were formidable and he was carrying only a pistol. They didn’t seem to be looking for him or anyone else, so he decided to stay out of their sight.

“Well, I guess we should just grab what we came for. Not much else here.” Said one and the others grumbled in response. “Don’t forget Fritos and Dr. Pepper if you want to get anything done.” One of them said. They loaded up shopping carts with food, drinks, toiletries and anything else that might be useful. In just a few minutes, they had emptied the pharmacy as well. Luckily for Brian, they left the cosmetic section untouched.

“What do you think these pills do?” Asked one. “Are any of them Valium or something fun?”

“I don’t think Walgreen’s has Valium in stock.”

“You never know.” Brian lay still until they had taken their fill.

“All right. That’s enough.” Said one of them. “Let’s go.”

“Did you see that truck outside?” Asked one as Brian cursed himself for being so stupid. “Let’s see if we can get it started.”

“We ain’t got time for that shit.” He heard another say. “If you want a truck like that just go into town and find the dealership.” They shuffled out, got into their own vehicles and left. Brian slipped out just in time to catch a glimpse of their black SUVs as they rolled out of the parking lot. He wondered why they weren’t in Humvees or whatever the army had. Nothing about this made sense to him, but he waited until nightfall and then drove home with his lights off. He did not want to cross their path again.